Breaking Rikku 4
by Kalta79
Summary: A former political rival of Baralai's resurfaces and he's out for blood. I wanted to do something dark after giving them such a happy ending in the third story. #RAPE/NON-CON, #Captivity #Forced Pregnancy #Stockholm Syndrome #Brainwashing #Emotional/Physical abuse #Loss of Identity #Blackmail/Revenge #Dangerous Plans #Trust issues #Bittersweet ending #Original characters
1. Chapter 1

"I had heard you had found a _special_ wife, Baralai, but no one told me how attractive she was. Congratulations." The blond man who had approached them at their table at _Maughin's_ said.

"Thank you, Arrass." Baralai replied tightly, and as accustomed as she was to reading her Master's body language, she gave Arrass a more scrutinizing appraisal, wondering why this man could make Baralai as tense as she'd ever seen him, and despite his outwardly pleasant, if not handsome, appearance, something about his demeanor repelled her.

"Since it came to my attention that you didn't invite me to your little get-together last month, I wanted to let you know there are no hard feelings, and I'd like to invite you to dinner at my place tomorrow with a once-in-a-lifetime deal for you. I'll call your office with my new address in the morning. See you at 7 p.m. sharp." Arrass said and flashed them a smile.

"Who was that, Dear?" Trophy asked when Arrass left. Once their twins had been born they had reevaluated their rules and decided that in public, she would always address him as 'Dear', and she had no trouble accepting the word as code for Master, to discretely acknowledge their roles.

"Trouble." he answered. "He was the Praetor before me, the one whom we had to force to resign, along with his father. He's the one who asked for Yuna's hand in marriage to enhance his reputation and power."

"So what's he been up to since then?" Trophy asked. "That was a long time ago."

"That's what I'd like to know." Baralai replied with a peculiar edge to his voice. "He and his father pretty much disappeared, though there were rumours they'd relocated to the outskirts of the Calm Lands and Mt. Gagazet. I didn't know he was back in town."

"Go upstairs and check on the twins before you get ready for me. I need to make a couple phone calls." Baralai told Trophy when they arrived back home.

"Of course, Master." she said and hurried to see her babies again, who were being looked after by their night nanny, a nice young man named Rian, who was part of their kink community.

"Did you enjoy your date night?" he asked her as she lovingly gazed at her sleeping children, wanting to cuddle them, but knowing better…it would just wake them up and it was nearly impossible to get them back to sleep again once that happened.

"Oh yes." she replied. "Did they fuss much?"

"Only when Yunan tried to steal his sister's pacifier. They're both really stubborn." he said with an amused grin.

"Yes, they are. Well, my night's duties aren't over yet either, I'll see you later." she told Rian before heading to her and Baralai's room, where she prepared herself for him. He arrived a few minutes later, and she didn't ask him for more details, knowing he'd tell her what was important for her to know, and only when she needed to know it.

"Be on your guard tomorrow." was all he said as he plunged into her, and she nodded before losing herself in the pleasure he always took from her, only to give it back in equal measure.

Baralai and Trophy arrived at a cozy cottage following the directions Arrass had given them, surprised it wasn't a more elaborate residence. "Let's get this over with." he said and rang the doorbell. He wasn't happy that Arrass was back, but he wanted to know what the man was up to.

Arrass answered the door himself, surprising them again. "So glad you make it. Come this way." he turned and led them to the dining room. "Dinner will be served shortly, please make yourselves comfortable." He sat down at the head of the table and gestured for them to sit down as well.

"What do you want, Arrass?" Baralai asked him.

"You were always such a workaholic, you know that? You never let anything get in the way of your ambitions." Arrass remarked pointedly. "But I guess you finally learned to enjoy the finer things in life." He looked at Trophy in a way that made her feel distinctly uncomfortable.

"If you have something to say, say it." Baralai said calmly, though the man's attitude towards Trophy was pushing it with him.

"Oh, well, I guess it's time to eat anyway….WHORE!" he bellowed, startling his guests who for a split-second thought he was insulting her, before they heard the sound of metal clanging against more metal. The sound grew louder, and then stopped behind the partition wall that concealed the kitchen doorway from Baralai and Trophy's view. Toes peeked out, but who they belonged to remained hidden. Arrass gave an exasperated sigh. "Do you want me to take off my belt again? Get out here!"

The person slowly stepped out from behind the wall, and Baralai's eyes widened as he recognized the naked and shackled woman. "Alase!" Trophy gasped.


	2. Chapter 2

"Not quite." Arrass smiled again. "Introduce yourself." he told his captive, and when she seemed too distracted by Baralai and Trophy's presence to immediately obey, he frowned and tapped his belt buckle. Alase blanched and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out at first. When it finally did, her voice was broken as if she hadn't spoken for a long time, and they were barely able to understand her.

"My name is Whore. I exist only for the pleasure of others." she said as Trophy stared at her in horror. The young woman's arrogance had been replaced by total submission, judging from her bowed head and the dull eyes she saw when Alase looked at them when she entered the dining room. The marks of violence on her, both fresh and fading, explained how the transformation had been accomplished.

"Now go get us dinner." he ordered Alase, who immediately turned and slowly shuffled back to the kitchen.

"What…what did you do to her?" Trophy asked, even though the answer was obvious, because she needed to say something to overcome the shock.

"Quiet." Baralai warned her, and she bowed her head in acknowledgement of the rebuke.

"Your slave needs discipline too, it seems like." Arrass told Baralai condescendingly.

"So is that why you invited us over for dinner?" He had always suspected what Arrass was capable of, but there had to be more to his plan than this. "You had a deal you wanted to discuss, didn't you?"

"Like I said, workaholic. But talking about business ruins the appetite, so you'll have to wait until after we eat." Arrass said as Alase returned with a full serving tray. She mutely served them each their dinner plates and a small bowl containing what looked like porridge was placed next to Arrass' plate, the place settings already containing napkins and silverware.

"Where's her plate?" Trophy asked.

"She eats after we do, she knows that." Arrass replied as Alase just stood absolutely still where she was holding the tray, and as they ate, he was the only one who seemed to enjoy the meal. When he was done, he put his scraps in the bowl. When Baralai and Trophy finished as well, Alase collected all their plates on the tray and went back to the kitchen, coming back soon and getting on her hands and knees on the floor next to Arrass' seat. He put the bowl on the floor in front of her, and she was about to grab the bowl when he slapped his hand down on the table and she froze in place.

"You're forgetting something, Whore." he told her harshly, holding a spoon in front of her. She immediately started to crawl around her bowl to get on her knees in front of him and went to unfasten his pants, but he slapped her hands away. "Not this time. Just say it."

"I must learn to serve Master Baralai better. That's why he did this to me." Alase obediently replied, and when she was rewarded with the spoon, she put it in her bowl before picking it up and crawling to a corner where she started eating.

"This is supposed to be your deal? Some kind of blackmail?" Baralai asked Arrass scornfully. "You'll have to do better than _that_."

"No, I don't." Arrass replied, trying to not get angry at Baralai's downplaying his achievements. "She's pregnant…congratulations, you're going to be a father again."

"What are we going to do, Master?" Trophy asked when they returned home. Arrass' ultimatum had been that Baralai either trade him Trophy for Alase, or hand over leadership of New Yevon and Bevelle to him. If Baralai refused, Arrass would go public with Alase, and the resulting scandal would irreversibly paint him as an evil and violent man, who was unfit to lead, and he would lose his position anyway. Not to mention becoming public enemy number one. He had demanded an answer by noon tomorrow.

"You're going to go to bed without me, and I'll be working in my study all night." he replied.

"Shall I have some coffee sent in for you first?" she offered.

"Yes, I'll need some." he agreed, appreciating her support.

"Good night, Master. You'll figure something out." Trophy smiled encouragingly at him before heading towards the kitchen, her smile fading as she remembered the metal shackles on Alase's ankles. They were chafing her skin, turning them into a bloody mess. And there was no reason for it, other than Arrass's cruelty. And he wanted to do the same thing to her…she shuddered as she told the night cook to prepare coffee and have it sent to her husband in his study.

Baralai entered his study with a heavy heart. He had belittled Arrass's threats to get him off his game and not worry Trophy about their precarious position, but they were in trouble. Arrass was right about the scandal, and Baralai only had around twelve hours to find out a way to neutralize the threat he posed. He should have known that Arrass would resurface at some point, especially after finding out the attempts on his wife's life were due to her being Al Bhed. Some people couldn't leave the hatred behind. Sighing wearily, he picked up the phone. His first step was to find out how Arrass had gotten hold of Alase and turned her into 'Whore'.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Two Months Ago**_

"I don't know why you wanted this bitch so bad. She don't seem worth the hassle this job took. You're lucky I'm a man of my word, or I'd be doubling my fee." A hooded man told Arrass. "And here I thought society chicks were supposed to be all refined and ladylike."

"So let me take her off your hands and you'll get your money." he replied indifferently.

"With pleasure." The hooded man disgustedly shoved the bound and gagged Alase towards Arrass, and he grabbed her before handing the man a briefcase. Opening it on the hood of his car, the man quickly scanned the stacks of gil, nodding as he counted them, shutting the briefcase and leaving without another word.

Arrass shoved Alase into the backseat of his own car before removing her gag. "Let me go right now, Arrass!" she demanded. "You know who I am!"

"Of course I do….you're my trump card." Arrass replied, and Alase felt a terrifying chill sweep through her as he smiled at her.

The car finally stopped, but Alase couldn't see where they were, he had buckled her in the backseat lying down so she couldn't really move, and her circulation was starting to be affected by the rope around her wrists and ankles. She had demanded answers of what Arrass thought he was doing, but he refused to say anything else, and being ignored like she didn't exist during the long car drive unnerved her more than the actual kidnapping. Her lawyer had gotten her trial postponed time after time, but finally she had been tried and convicted of conspiracy to commit treason. Leniency was granted in the form of her sentence to be served at a minimum security prison, which was mainly filled with white-collar criminals who had no violent history. She had been even granted the opportunity to drive there herself, and that's what she had been doing when she had been carjacked and kidnapped.

"Welcome to your new home." Arrass told her as he unbuckled her and dragged her out of the car. She was in some remote rural area, and before her stood a rather cozy-looking cottage, which she hadn't been expecting.

"This isn't a home, it's a…shack!" she snapped, trying to cover her fear with rudeness.

"It has everything I need to train you." he replied, and pulled her inside, stopping in front of a small door, opening it and flipping on the light switch to reveal a stairway leading down into the darkness. "Be grateful I don't toss you down the stairs." he said when she resisted him. He stopped in front of another door, and Alase noticed both the wall and the door it contained were newer than everything else. There wasn't a lock on the door, just a touch panel on the wall next to it. He put his hand flat on it and the door opened, revealing a small lighted room with a low table in the middle of it, with large eye bolts fastened into the sides. A toilet in the corner and a small wooden box on the floor near the table were the only other things in the room.

"What the hell are you talking about, training me?" she demanded to know. Arrass just shoved her inside and unable to balance herself while still tied up, she fell to the floor.

"Obedience training, of course." he finally answered as he walked over to the box and picked it up, tucking it under one arm. "Get on the table."

"Obedience?! Are you crazy? I'm not your fucking pet!" Alase exclaimed.

"No, you're a fucking slave now." Arrass coldly informed her. Grabbing her arm, he half-lifted and half-threw her onto the table, then placed the box next her. Opening it, he took out a pair of heavy-duty scissors and cut the ropes binding her wrists. She whimpered briefly as her arm muscles reacted painfully to the sudden release and her hands felt funny as proper circulation was finally restored.

"No. I'm not a slave." Alase tried to sound defiant, but her rapidly growing fear of him made it come out almost meekly. He must have gone insane since he disappeared.

Arrass frowned. "Turn over **now**." Alase kept quiet this time, but didn't move. "Have it your way." he told her as he forced her to lie face down on the table so she couldn't see him take off his belt, but she felt the lashes on her back and her loud cries of pain almost drowned out what he was saying. "I will only tell you something once." "Never talk back to me." Arrass kept alternating between the two rules as he gave her ten lashes.

"I'm sorry." Alase sobbed as he put his belt back on, as much from pain as the relief that it was over...or so she thought until she felt him grab her hands. "What…what are you doing?"

"You don't ask the questions around here." he said as he fastened the handcuffs on her and then to the eye bolt attached to the table. Grabbing the scissors, he started cutting off her clothes. "Do you want me to take my belt off again?" he asked when she started struggling, and she stopped resisting. "I told you, you're a fucking slave now. And that's what's next."

Alase shook her head, trying to deny what he was going to do to her…this couldn't be happening! she told herself as she felt him get on the table with her. "Please don't." she pleaded.

"I always knew you had it in you to beg." he told her smugly. "We'll work on that, won't we?"

Alase screamed in pain as he forced himself into her ass, her renewed struggling only making him thrust more painfully into her, and eventually she gave up. She shook her head again as he starting whispering in her ear over and over that Baralai did this to her. Rape, that's what was being done to her, and she was helpless for the first time in her life. She screamed again, this time at having sunk so low that she ended up as the captive of a madman.


	4. Chapter 4

"Wakey, wakey." Arrass said as he entered the room. The sudden bright light hurt Alase's eyes and she blinked constantly while they adjusted. She hadn't known that the touch panel was also keyed to the lights as well, so when he locked her in last night, she was left in complete darkness, still naked and handcuffed to the table. When she could see again, she noticed he was holding a small tray with a bowl and spoon on it, which he set down on the corner of the table. He had also brought a chair in the room. "Use the toilet and then you can have breakfast." he said as he undid the handcuffs.

Realizing she was free, for a split-second Alase thought about trying to escape, but the look on his face suggested that he'd love for her to try, and since she didn't know where she was or if there was even help nearby, she obeyed him, wishing the toilet wasn't exposed. She felt even more degraded to have no privacy from him. She couldn't wash her hands because there was no sink, but there was a pump bottle of hand sanitizer on the back of the toilet so Alase used that instead.

"I bet you're hungry." Arrass smiled with false benevolence at her as he picked up the tray and sat down in the chair. "Come over here." She reluctantly walked over to him, unsure what he had planned and not sure she wanted to know. "Get on your hands and knees in front of me."

Alase just stared at him in disbelief, not obeying until he frowned and put the tray on the floor, so he could start to unbuckle his belt. She hurriedly got on all fours and he smiled again at her.

"That's better. Now start your breakfast." he told her, and Alase started to crawl over to the tray with the bowl on it. "No, you don't eat that yet. Get back over here." Confused, she did as she was told, only to be confronted with him having unfastened his pants to expose himself. "You know you were always a cocksucker, so get to it."

"Like hell I will!" Alase couldn't stop herself from saying, and she was rewarded with a powerful backhand across the face that made tears spring to her eyes.

"What did I teach you yesterday?" he asked coldly.

Alase was quiet for a few moments as she tried to remember, wanting to forget yesterday ever happened…today too. "I…should never talk back to you." she finally said. He looked expectantly at her and she searched her mind again. "And you…only tell me things once."

"Keep going." he said impatiently. "I'm not going to wait all day."

"I am not to ask questions either." Alase said after another pause.

"Bingo. Now do I need to take the tray back upstairs?" Arrass asked her.

Alase saw the belt in his hands and knew what else would happen if she refused again. Her eyes filled with tears again as she crawled closer so she could take him in the mouth, this time the tears caused by her humiliating state. She tried to cheer herself up by reminding herself that once she didn't arrive at the prison, they'd start looking for her. Maybe if she got him to talk about why he was doing this, she could be granted a pardon in exchange for her testimony once she was rescued.

"Not bad, but you're sloppier than I expected." he told her when she finished. "You'll have to get better, but you're lucky. This is the first course for all your meals from now on, understand?" When she nodded, he gestured for her to eat her bowl. Crawling over to it, Alase wrinkled her nose. It was just plain porridge…and now it was cold. "If it's not warm anymore, it's your own fault for misbehaving."

She managed to swallow the unappetizing slop, putting the bowl and spoon back on the tray and waited, wondering what was in store for her next. Her silent question was soon answered.

"Now that we have that out of the way, it's time to get down to business." Arrass said as he refastened his pants. "You're only here for one reason. To get everything you ever wanted. You tried whoring yourself to all the power players in Bevelle, so that's who you're going to be. From now on, your name is Whore. And since you were especially hard up for Baralai, I'm going to do everything I can to make you his personal fucking slave. You should thank me for helping you."

Alase stared at him in growing shock and horror. He was actually serious about what he planned to do to her! As he frowned, his last statement penetrated through her fear. "Th…thank you for helping me."

Arrass nodded. "I'll continue to do so. That's why I uncuffed you, I want you to walk this room for exercise to make sure you don't get fat. But you've got special walking accessories I've got to put on you first. Sit on the table." When she did, he opened the wooden box and took out a pair of shackles, which he fastened on her ankles. "Now you've got ankle weights to help you stay in shape. I'll be back." He took the wooden box and left, locking her in the darkness again.

Lunch was uneventful, except he whipped her again when he found her still sitting on the table where he had shackled her ankles, for not getting the exercise he told her to. But she performed for him without hesitation this time, even though her porridge was still cold, and he told her how lucky she was to get two courses for every meal before leaving. She tried walking around the room, but the shackles hurt her tender skin and she had to go very slowly, especially since it was pitch black. Alase was proud of herself for learning how to shuffle her feet to minimize pain from the shackles.

Dinner was far from uneventful though, as he had more instructions for her. "Since your voice is a lot more annoying than I remember, I've been giving it some thought, and you are never to speak at all without permission from now on." When she stopped eating and looked at him apprehensively, he smiled in satisfaction and continued. "There are only three things you will be permitted to say from now on. Number one, you will thank me every morning before breakfast and every night after dinner. Number two, when I tell you to introduce yourself, you will say that your name is Whore and you exist only for the pleasure of others. And lastly, when I tell you to say it, you will say that you must learn to serve Master Baralai better, that's why he's doing this to you. Understand?"

Alase nodded, feeling sick to her stomach, but she forced herself to finish her porridge, knowing she wouldn't get anymore til morning, and put her bowl and spoon back on the tray, before cleaning herself up. Along with her dinner, he had brought her a pitcher full of hot water, along with soap and a washcloth, informing her he would be doing that every night.

"Now get on your bed." Arrass demanded, patting the table. "We'll practice your new pet phrases tomorrow. And yes, it's not much of a bed, but there's a nice comfy one waiting upstairs for you." Alase paused briefly as she was getting up on the table, wondering how soon she could go upstairs. He handcuffed her again before removing her shackles, putting them in the wooden box he had brought back with him. He then got up on the table too, favoring her with another chilling smile. "You'll go upstairs when you're _ready_." he told her.

Alase went numb as he mounted her, wondering if she would make it until she was rescued, or would she become his version of _ready_ , whatever what was? Maybe it didn't matter, she told herself despairingly. Right now, she just had to make it through being raped again.


	5. Chapter 5

"You get a special breakfast this morning." Arrass told Alase one morning, and she just looked at him expectantly, already on her hands and knees so she could perform for him. "Since you've now been here a whole month, I have some special guests coming here soon, whom I owe a debt to, and you're going to pay it for me. After all, you can't be a proper fucking slave when I'm the only one doing it to you. So I put supplements in your food to increase your stamina and pain tolerance. Now enjoy your first course."

Alase did as she was told, sucking his cock an automatic reaction to her now after countless repetitions. She was grateful she didn't have to think about it anymore, so she could think about his unpleasant news instead. Had she been here a month already? That scared her more than having strangers fuck her. The days had melded into one another, because she had no way to judge time anymore…in fact, time had ceased existing for her except for his visits when he brought her meals. She had only his word that he was bringing her meals at the proper time of day. Alase knew he could have brought her breakfast five times a day and she would have no way to know the difference.

"Now eat your breakfast. You'll need it, trust me." he said when she finished.

Eating the warm porridge, Alase couldn't escape the realization that she was indeed learning to trust him, and it only added to her fear. Why hadn't she been rescued yet? The only thing that kept her going was being able to scream…Arrass may have forbidden her to speak freely, but he never cared if she screamed while he beat or raped her, so it became her secret vocal rebellion against him. But she still needed someone to save her…didn't she matter anymore?

"Now let's pretty you up." Arrass took a tube of vanishing cream out of his pocket and spread it over all the bruises and lash marks on her naked body, making them invisible. "Brush your hair while I'm gone." he ordered her, taking the tray when she put the empty bowl and spoon on it.

At least she mattered to him, Alase thought as she was left in the darkness again, but she had learned the layout of the room perfectly, having all the time in the world to do nothing else, so she had no trouble getting to the toilet. Picking up her hairbrush that was lying next to the hand sanitizer, she continued thinking about their relationship as she brushed her hair. He had frequently said she was his 'trump card', whatever that was. But it must be something important, and he wasn't actually _that_ bad. After all, he had given her the hairbrush when she had learned to suck his cock the right way, and a pillow and blanket when she obeyed him well enough to go a whole day without a beating. His acts of kindness increased her confidence that she would survive until she was rescued, but it also lessened the importance of it. Finished with her hair, she put the brush back and shuffled over to the table, standing still as a statue to wait for his guests. Waiting was all she really did now, so it was easy to perfect it.

"This way." Arrass told his four guests, leading them downstairs to where he kept Alase hidden, putting his hand on the touch panel.

Alase put a smile on her face as soon as the door started to open, and it froze in place once her eyes adjusted to light again. She was overcome with horror as she got her first look at his 'special' guests…Ronso!

"Why woman naked?" one of them asked Arrass. "What is this?"

"You did me such a special favor, I'd like to offer you something special in return." he replied. "Introduce yourself." he ordered Alase.

"M…My name is Whore. I…exist only for the pleasure of others." she replied automatically, only able to speak through her shock because of her constant training to respond properly to his cues.

"Whore?" The second Ronso questioned the unfamiliar word.

"It's the human version of a concubine." Arrass explained.

"Oh, concubine…but they only for Elders." the fourth Ronso said.

"Not for our kind. Everyone can enjoy a whore." Arrass smiling winningly at them, while they mostly gawked at Alase, who remained rooted to her spot with fear. "Ronso and humans need to embrace each other more."

The Ronso all laughed, appreciating his humour and his unusual offer for payment. "She pretty." the third Ronso spoke up finally. "She really for us?"

"Of course, and however you want. Would you like to try her first?" Arrrass asked.

"Turok always get to go first." the others complained.

"Don't worry, my friends. You'll all get at least one turn, won't they, Whore?" Arrass tapped his belt as he looked at her.

Alase managed to nod, trying to process her situation. Her great-grandfather Mika's disdain of the Ronso had been handed down through the generations, and Alase herself thought of them as little better than animals…and she had just agreed to let those animals have her!

"Oh, but one thing first." Arrass reached into his pocket and pulled out a gag, securely fastening it on her head, increasing her terror. "She gets too loud sometimes, and it's not polite to do that for our special guests. I'll be back soon with some food." he cheerfully told the Ronso as he left.

Alase bowed her head as Turok approached her…how could she have sunk so low? Guilt and shame overcame her as she submitted to his advances. She had tried so hard to regain her family's prestige, and now she was betraying the very principles they had instilled in her. The pain she felt as Turok shoved his oversized cock into her was nothing compared to the pain she felt for destroying her heritage…and she was gagged, so she couldn't even scream now to save herself.

"Whore feel good." Turok said with a satisfied grunt as he finished with her.

Whore…that was it, she thought as the next Ronso took his turn with her. Arrass had been right all along. She was letting herself be fucked by animals to pay a debt, just like any whore would. Why had she been trying so hard to save herself until she was rescued? No one had yet, and they never would…she just wasn't worth it. Arrass had always told her the truth, and it was time she accepted it. Closing her eyes, she cried bitter tears of grief over her fate, all the while enduring the continued violation of her body by the Ronso.

Arrass returned with a huge tray laden with food while Turok was taking his third turn with Alase, who was leaning over the table and gripping the sides for support while he took her up the ass, and her eyes were still closed. "Anyone hungry?" he asked as he put the tray down on the table.

The other Ronso were, and thanked him for the food and entertainment. Turok finished and came over to eat as well, so Arrass walked over to Alase, who hadn't moved. He noticed the fluid running down her legs, Ronso semen mixed with a few drops of human blood. "Well, how are we enjoying ourselves?"

She kept her eyes closed until she turned her head towards him, recognizing the voice as one she must obey. Opening them, she looked at him with dry, dead eyes. "My name is Whore. I exist only for the pleasure of others."

Arrass's smile was wickedly triumphant…she had finally broken! Alase had shattered and vanished, leaving only the blank slate of Whore, so he could finish molding her into the perfect weapon to take back his own prestige.


	6. Chapter 6

Whore woke up just before Arrass entered. "Good morning!" he said cheerfully as he put the shackles on her and undid her handcuffs. "You've got another special day ahead of you…you get to go upstairs after breakfast."

Blinking as much from the sudden light as his announcement, she waited for his command before she got off the table and used the toilet, using the hand sanitizer on her hands before getting on all fours and crawling over to the chair. "Thank you for helping me." she humbly told him as he unfastened his pants.

Arrass was amused at how easily Alase had been broken as he looked down at her eagerly performing for him. She had done it multiple times daily since he took her captive, but not with the enthusiasm she now exhibited. "You love sucking cock, don't you?" he asked her when she finished.

Whore nodded fervently before starting to eat her warm porridge. She knew she only existed to please others, so whatever they did to her, or had her do for them, she had to love it as much as they did. But not enjoy it…she had vague recollections of him beating her during sex, reminding her she was never to have pleasure, only give it.

"Okay, let's get out of here." Arrass said when she finished eating. "Time to see how a fucking slave is supposed to live." A fucking slave was all she deserved to be, something inside Whore insisted, as she became terribly nervous about leaving this room…it was all she knew, her mind having forgotten all conscious memories of her free life as Alase overnight. Reluctantly standing up, she anxiously followed him out the door to walk through the dark cellar before reaching the stairs.

She was used to walking with the shackles in her room, but this was different, she could move slowly there. Walking at regular speed hurt, and her body was still sore from paying off his debt. He was at the top of the stairs before she had even made it up the first one. Grateful for the railing to support her, Whore kept her eyes focused on him in the doorway, the light from upstairs illuminating him to seem almost angelic, and she had a sudden epiphany. She had been trying to figure out who he was, because she was a slave, but he wasn't her Master, which confused her, but it all made sense now. He was her Light. That's why she was always left in darkness without him, and why everything he ever told her was true. He was so much more important than a Master! Her forced dependence on him solidifying into undying faith in that moment, she climbed the stairs as fast as she could to be with him, her newfound feelings strong enough that she could ignore the other feeling that something precious had been irrevocably taken from her as he slammed the cellar door shut behind her.

"This is your room now." Arrass opened the second door they came to. "Get in there."

Whore shuffled inside and gasped at the splendor. It was a small room, even smaller than the room she was held in downstairs, but it had a real bed, with multiple pillows and a complete bedding set! There was even a window…nothing more, but it was most wonderful thing she had ever seen. Whore wanted to scream with delight, but that small voice she had inside her now told her that screaming would be in vain.

Arrass was amused again, this time at her reaction. Alase would have sneered at such a tiny spartan bedroom, saying she wouldn't even let her servants sleep in a room like that. Now she was acting like it was as grand as the Bevelle Palace. "Now that you've seen it, follow me." He walked to the next door in the hallway, gesturing for her to enter.

Whore blinked in surprise as she obeyed…it was a real bathroom! A regular tub, the toilet wasn't special because she hadn't been deprived of one, but there was a sink too, and a mirror! She was filled with such delight that she didn't even notice him taking the shackles off until they clanged loudly together when he stood up.

"Take a bath and then go back to your room." he ordered her, closing the door as he left.

For a moment, Whore was scared to be in new surroundings without him, but she got over it by doing what he wanted. She turned on the taps for the bathtub, unable to stop herself from clapping with joy when water gushed out. She couldn't resist splashing around a bit once she got in, but she didn't forget her orders and enjoyed thoroughly cleaning herself with the soap and shampoo that was there. She felt as if she was washing the darkness of downstairs away, and that small voice inside her got even smaller. She reluctantly got out eventually, not wanting to take too long in case her Light was waiting for her. He was, and she stood still when she saw him, waiting to be told what to do next.

"This isn't free, you know." he told her, and she got a puzzled expression on her face. "I spent a lot of money getting you. How do you repay someone?" Her confusion cleared up immediately, and she went to lay down on the bed, where he fucked her ass hard until she couldn't stop herself from whimpering in pain, his roughness aggravating the abuse she suffered yesterday. So he made her turn over and fucked her normally until that hurt her too.

"Take a nap now." he said when he was done with her. "I'll wake you up for lunch." He left, almost wishing he didn't have to take the next step for his plan…that's why he had to be careful with her now and not fully enjoy her unconditional willingness to please him. After lunch, everything would change, and he had to keep himself in check.

Whore cuddled under the covers, trying to find a comfortable position. She had became accustomed to sleeping on a hard table, and such luxury as a firm mattress with soft pillows was almost obscene to her. At least she had started repaying his kindness, even if it had made her hurt, and that little voice surfaced again to tell her she deserved it, but Whore knew only her Light had the authority to tell her what she deserved. The momentous events of the morning suddenly overwhelmed her, and her last thought before falling asleep was how wonderful it was to see his face every time she opened her eyes, the only thing more wonderful being when he fucked her, because it felt beyond right to be used by him…this was her only purpose in life.


	7. Chapter 7

Whore woke up to him getting into bed with her, where he again fucked her both ways until she was unable to stop herself from crying out in pain. "Now follow me." he demanded as he got out of bed. She tried to walk after him, but her body had endured too much abuse and she collapsed to the floor, unable to stand. "It's okay if you crawl after me." he told her, and she did just that, even if it still hurt, but all she could think of was how wonderfully patient he was. She now viewed him as perfect and blameless, and herself automatically responsible for anything bad that happened to her.

"This is the dining room, and the kitchen is through there." Arrass pointed to the doorway partially concealed by the partition wall. "After today, you'll be cooking all our meals, and cleaning the cottage. Go wait by my chair while I get lunch."

Whore obeyed without hesitation, noticing the glass door leading outside, and quickly turned her head away. That small voice inside told her that she'd be free from him outside, but she was terrified at the thought of being without her Light. He returned a few moments later, carrying the tray again, this time it had a plate and drink for him, but her bowl wasn't there, only a large corked vial with blue sparkling liquid inside it.

"You get a special lunch today." he said as he sat down and started eating, while she remained on all fours, wondering what the vial was. After he was done with his lunch, he handed it to her. "Drink this and get on the table." Arrass demanded.

The liquid tasted absolutely vile, but she got it all down, grateful he was giving her something special, and she looked adoringly at him when she gave him the empty vial. He ignored it as he went to the kitchen while she got on the table. When he returned, he had a cooler and rope with him

"Now that I can trust you, we can move to the next phase…we're going to get you pregnant." he said as he took needleless syringes and small bottles out of the cooler. "Say it." he commanded her. "And keep saying it until I tell you to stop."

"I must learn to serve Master Baralai better, that's why he's doing this to me." The phrase came out of Whore's mouth as a now ingrained response to his cue, though as she repeated it over and over again, she wondered who Master Baralai was…was he her Light? She shook her head in confusion as Arrass slipped his hand between her legs to shove the first syringe inside her, releasing Baralai's semen. Taking no chances at failure, he pumped all seven of the syringes into her for good luck, then used the rope to tie her thighs together.

"You can shut up now. And you're not to move at all until dinnertime." he informed her. "Close your eyes and remind yourself how much you want to be pregnant." Collecting all the used supplies back into the cooler, he went back into the kitchen.

Whore did as she was told, feeling more comfortable to be lying on a hard table again. She hadn't known she wanted children, but he obviously knew everything about her and was incapable of lying. Why he had to do it this way instead of getting her pregnant the usual way she didn't know, but it wasn't her place to know anything he didn't tell her.

"Whore!" Arrass snapped, and she opened her eyes, realizing she must have dozed off. "It's time for dinner." he said as he unbound her thighs, and she obediently got off the table onto the floor on her hands and knees by his chair. His place was already set, and her porridge bowl was there as well. When he was done eating, he put his unwanted scraps into her bowl. "You should be eating for two now, so you need extra food." he explained. "But first…"

Whore wasted no time in working on her 'first course', excited at having something extra for her dinner. She quickly swallowed every last drop of him when he came in her mouth, and smiled gratefully at him when he put her bowl on the floor, with the spoon already in it.

"In two weeks, you'll take a test to confirm you're pregnant." he told her as she started eating. "In the meantime, no sex. I'm not going to risk screwing this up. That's why I fucked the shit out of you earlier, you'll get no more for a while." Whore suddenly lost her appetite at the prospect of being denied the reason for her existence for two whole weeks. What kind of fucking slave didn't have sex? "Eat!" he commanded her, pleased that she looked so forlorn at his announcement…she really didn't comprehend the realities of her situation anymore. "After all, you still have to earn your meals."

Whore was cleaning the bathroom mirror when Arrass entered. She had spent the last two weeks learning how to cook and clean. She had no idea how to do either, and she marveled at his patience in having to constantly waste his time teaching her repeatedly. He was thoughtful of her possible condition too, never whipping her like he used to. When she had to be punished, only her hands, face, and calves were struck, never any part of her between her neck and her knees. And learning domestic skills took up most of her time, a welcome distraction from the agony she felt in not being able to please him whenever he wanted. At least she still sucked his cock before every meal, but it wasn't the same…

"It's time to find out." he told her, flashing her the home pregnancy test box he held. "Stop that and sit on the toilet." When she had, he opened the box and handed her the stick. "Pee on this and then put it the sink. Wash your hands in the tub when you're done." Whore followed his instructions, then merely stood still and waited for more instructions. Before too long, the word _YES_ appeared on the stick. "Congratulations, Whore. You're going to have Baralai's baby, just like you always wanted. This calls for a celebration…get over here."

She wasn't happy to have it explained that she wasn't having his baby, but she immediately obeyed, standing in front of the sink with her head bowed as she heard him unfasten his belt and unzip his pants.

"No, you'll want to remember this." Arrass put one hand under her chin and forced her head up so she was looking in the mirror, while his other hand guided his cock into her.

Whore watched him take her up the ass in the mirror, the happiness she should have felt at fulfilling her reason for existing again ruined. She hated seeing her reflection now, and it was the only thing he still had to force her to do. The first time she had seen herself in the mirror after coming upstairs, she didn't even recognize the woman she saw…she was ugly! Beaten, gaunt, and her hair was a mess…not to mention there was something disturbing about those eyes. Hadn't she been beautiful? Then the reflection moved when she did and she realized it was herself, and she was overcome with disgust and self-loathing, so she never looked in the mirrors if she could help it…she even figured out how to clean them without seeing herself.

"If it wouldn't make you lose the baby, I'd invite the Ronso so you could thank them. After all, they're the ones who got me Baralai's sperm and one of their fertility potions. They're even the ones who found this place for me, and they really enjoyed you. You were the first human they had." he explained as if she should be proud of it.

Whore felt herself overcome with emotion again as he mentioned the Ronso, this time with inexplicable guilt and shame, and she tensed up which caused his thrusts to become painful, but she found perverse comfort in it. That small voice returned, telling her she needed to be hurt. She hardly paid attention to the voice, because it so often contradicted her Light, but she believed it this time as she looked at herself in the mirror being painfully sodomized to celebrate her pregnancy. Punishment and sex were the only constants in her life, righteously given to her by her Light.

"I'll be gone all day tomorrow." Arrass told her as he entered her bedroom late at night a few days later. "I'll leave right after breakfast and be back in time for dinner, so you'll be eating lunch by yourself. I'll give you extra scraps at breakfast to make up for what you'll be missing at lunch."

Whore nodded, scared to not have him around while being touched by his kindness. He took such good care of her…when he lightly spanked her ass, she obediently got on her hands and knees. He had let know that this was how it was going to be during her pregnancy, and strangely enough, the voice within her agreed again, telling her she deserved to be fucked like an animal.

"How do you feel?" he asked as he shoved himself into her.

"I love being a fucking slave." she replied, responding appropriately to the new cue he made her learn once her pregnancy was confirmed. She was glad he had done it, because in her heart, Whore was professing her deep love to him every time she said those words.

"Well, I did it!" Arrass exclaimed when he returned home just before dinner, entering the kitchen. Her mind had been destabilizing even more during his absence, every sound scaring her and making her think he would never return. She was crying and trembling violently in the fetal position on the floor, only calming down when he struck her hard across the face, the blow getting through to her that he was back. "Get up and make dinner." he told her disgustedly and left to go take a shower.

The scorn and contempt in his voice calmed her down more, but it still was a few more minutes of listening to him taking his shower before Whore could get off the floor and do what he told her. As she waited for the pot of water to boil, she remembered that he had been excited about something when he came home, and she wondered what it was.

"We're finally going to get what we both want." he told her as she took him in the mouth during dinner. "We've got special guests coming tomorrow, so you'll need to make enough food for two other people."

Whore paused briefly when he mentioned special guests, the phrase triggering fear until he revealed it would be two humans. She was still nervous about seeing other people, it had been just her and her Light for what seemed like an eternity, and she liked it that way.

Whore's anxiety slowly increased throughout the day, held in check only by the sexual acts she and her Light engaged in. He had given her specific ingredients and recipes to make, and having to concentrate on something new also helped her distract her, but before she knew it, she heard the doorbell and him let the special guests in. She could hear their voices all the way in the kitchen, but not what they were saying. They sounded…familiar? How could that be? Before she could try and figure it out, her Light bellowed for her, and she made it all the way to behind the partition wall before she froze, suddenly deeply terrified of anyone seeing her. Then he threatened to take his belt off, and she remembered that this dinner was going to get them what they both wanted, so to please her Light, she reluctantly stepped forward to meet his guests.


	8. Chapter 8

"Do you know who that was?" Arras asked as he walked over to the corner where Whore had retreated to eat, feeling safer away from the guests who had just left, and she shook her head at him. "That was your Master Baralai."

Whore shook her head harder, trying to sort out the intense conflict that started brewing within her at his revelation. She hadn't paid too much attention to the dinner conversation, but now the meaning of what she overheard became abundantly clear…he was giving her back! She started panicking and inadvertently caused herself to start choking on the last bite of her dinner.

"Dammit, you stupid slut!" he cursed as he assisted her. "I didn't go through all the trouble of breaking you to get this far to have you blow it by trying to kill yourself!" he snapped at her when she stopped choking. "Now clean up and get your ass to bed before I change my mind about being nice to you." he snarled at her as he left.

Feeling her heart break as she mindlessly gathered up all the dishes and utensils and took them into the kitchen, where she started the hot water running, turning her head away from the window over the sink. Unable to understand her hatred of windows and mirrors was because of what had been taken from her, since the concepts of rape and captivity had long ago been abolished from her conscious mind, she only knew that they were abhorrent to her. Her mind was only focused on only one thing…she was going to separated from her Light, and she had barely survived half a day without him. How could she live the rest of her life that way?

Arrass was waiting in her bedroom when she finished the dishes. "Are you ready to apologize for your screwup earlier?" he asked her, and Whore nodded, grateful he was so merciful. "Then lie face down on your bed." he told her, and she quickly obeyed. "You're going to apologize by proving to me you won't nearly ruin all my hard work again. Let's go over the basics…who are you?"

"My name is Whore. I exist only for the pleasure of others." she replied instantly.

"And what are you?" he continued, unbuckling his belt and getting it ready if need be.

"Master Baralai's fucking slave." Whore heard the belt and tried not to get nervous and screw up again.

"Who did this to you?" he asked.

"Master Baralai did this to me." she answered.

"And you've always loved and wanted him, haven't you?" Arrass threw in a new question. Whore remained silent, and he brought his belt down hard on her calves. "Answer me!" he demanded.

Whore sobbed into her pillow as he continued to strike her while demanding she answer, the question tearing her to shreds even more than his belt was tearing up her legs…she had always been told Baralai did this to her, and she believed her Light was incapable of lying, so she had no reason to doubt he was responsible for her situation. She believed she was telling the truth by saying he did it to her, but even though she had always been told she wanted Baralai and his baby, the truth was that she loved her Light, and in her mind she was carrying his baby since he was the one who impregnated her. She couldn't admit to a lie, that would be betraying the principles she believed he stood for, but if she didn't obey him, she'd still be betraying him…the untenable situation started pushing her further towards complete insanity, and she felt that small voice grow stronger inside her. Too conflicted to resist what it was telling her, she desperately obeyed, needing any way out she could find. It told her to scream, so scream she did.

Arrass was taken aback by her sudden vocal display, and he didn't know what to do at first as she let out all her pain. Unfortunately, Whore had used her voice so seldom over the last month that she couldn't keep it up, and before too long she was reduced to mumbling hoarsely. He recovered enough to resume beating her when he made out the words she was uttering. "I just want to bask in my Light to forever?" he repeated in surprise, looking down at the pathetic wreck he had created. Having no idea what she meant since she never addressed him that way, and attributing it to her brokenness, he decided to play along to further his goals. "Fine, if you answer my question properly, I promise you can forever bask in your Light."

Too exhausted by her screaming and too worn out from the beating to resist anymore, not with his promise of eternal togetherness, Whore gave in. "I have always loved and wanted my Master Baralai." she said, resolving her inner conflict the only way left to her…allowing his demands to totally subsume her own desires, and the small voice inside her grew weaker again. The only desire she should ever have is an overwhelming one for obeying her Light. How could she have forgotten that?

"That's better. Now you can help me celebrate." Arrass said, and she winced as he forced her onto her hands and knees, it aggravated the injuries to her calves, and coupled with how roughly he sodomized her, it became the most painful sexual encounter she had ever endured from him. But endure it she did, clinging to his promise to never leave her, and by the relief she always felt when he used her…she was nothing but a fucking slave after all, that was the destiny he was helping her fulfill.

"Thank you for helping me." Whore told him with heartfelt sincerity, just realizing it was after dinner and she hadn't shown him the gratitude he deserved for everything he had done for her.

"You're usually a better cocksucker than this, what's wrong? Are you nervous about today?" he asked her the next morning when it was time for her to earn her breakfast.

Whore nodded as best she could, and tried to finish with more enthusiasm. She woke up feeling even deader inside than she was used to, and it took her a few moments to remember the previous day's events, since she was also used to forgetting whatever she could. But yesterday was definitely memorable. She had met her Master Baralai at last, and would finally be returned to him. Her Light celebrated by taking her up the ass, not even stopping when she whimpered in pain. And before that he had given her the worst beating he ever had. This morning she was still in so much pain she couldn't walk, she had to crawl everywhere, and the shackles kept rubbing the lash marks on her calves.

"That's better." he told her. "And you don't have to be nervous…it doesn't matter if Baralai doesn't want you and Junior, I'll dump you at the nearest hospital and they'll make sure he takes you, if you just tell them everything we went over last night. Because you'll be asked lots of questions about what happened to you, and you just tell them the truth." He waited until she nodded again before continuing. "And don't be surprised when they start saying bad things about me. But if you don't want to hear that, just don't tell them about me. Now eat your breakfast." he said as he refastened his pants.

Whore stared at him before eating her own breakfast. What kind of world existed beyond these walls where someone as perfect as her Light would be insulted? And why was she supposed to go back to it? Unless…she was to spread the word about his greatness? That made sense to her…Master Baralai must have wanted her to become a disciple!

The rest of the morning was uneventful, since Whore didn't have anything to pack or anything else to do to get ready to leave, but she still had to wash the dishes. With not being able to walk, he had to hold her up so she could, forcing himself on her again in the process, telling her it was 'one for the road'.

As the clock ticked closer and closer to noon, Whore felt herself getting scared, especially since the victory Arrass envisioned was so close, and the last thing standing in his way was time he couldn't control, and she had never seen him so tense. He consoled himself with how no matter what Baralai decided, the man would lose something of great value to him. His wife, his political empire, or maybe somehow both. They were both so worked up, they never heard the car drive up, the sound of the doorbell startling them both.

"It's time." Arrass said, standing up and heading towards the door with a malicious smile, while Whore couldn't stop herself from hiding under the table.


	9. Chapter 9

"What did you find out, Master?" Trophy asked as Baralai entered the dining room and sat down at the head of the table. She was nervous enough by yesterday's events, but him looking so haggard and almost…scared?, that made the butterflies in her stomach multiply exponentially.

"I knew he had to be telling the truth about the pregnancy, there's no point in lying about something so easy to verify. The fertility clinic we used when Yuna had our babies, they had a break-in about a month ago. So that's how he got her pregnant with my child." Baralai wearily explained.

"But how did he get _her_ in the first place?" Trophy continued her questioning, ignoring the pang she felt at his having a child with another woman, even if obviously neither of them had any choice in the matter.

"No one at that facility had ever seen Alase, so when a similar-looking woman drove up in her car, no one bothered to confirm her identity. They weren't expecting someone to show up to do time if they weren't supposed to. But apparently her replacement needed a way out of deep trouble, and getting paid to turn herself in at a cushy lax prison sounded perfect to her." he replied. "So Arrass could have his perfect blackmail."

"That was two months ago…two months the real Alase has been tortured?!" Trophy shuddered. She only had a glimpse of what it felt like to be treated like that, first in her nightmares and then chained up in the cell in their playroom for a party. But those were brief and not real anyways…she had only to wake up or use the safe word and it was over. Alase never had that luxury, she just had…an unending nightmare. "We have to save her!"

"We will, but it's not going to be easy. We can't just charge in there guns blazing. I called Solace and talked to her, since it was her work as a trauma counselor that convinced her and her husband to start Hope House. Granted she specialized in orphaned children, but she still has enough expertise in dealing with victims of any tragedy or trauma. She said she doesn't know how badly Alase is damaged, so can't make any promises without examining her first, but based on what we saw, we might destroy her if we break her out." he told her.

"So what we do? We can't just leave her there!" A rueful expression came over her face. "I **never** thought I could ever feel sorry for Alase, but…"

Baralai nodded. "I know. There's no way to avoid things getting ugly, and a scandal is inevitable. But it could still work out…I can't tell you what's going to happen if my plan has any chance of succeeding, just know that if things go right, you'll get what you've always wanted, and I'm sorry."

Trophy just stared at him as he gently grasped her hand and brought it to his lips.. His tone was so regretful and his manner so apologetic, she felt that his saying she was going to what she always wanted was more of a curse than a blessing.

"Laura?" Trophy was surprised to find their friend in the backseat when she and Baralai got in.

"Yeah, I got a call that my presence was needed for a rescue mission, but _someone_ wasn't too keen on details." Laura said with a sharp glance at Baralai.

"You'll all know soon enough. We're ready, Solace." Baralai said, and Trophy knew she shouldn't be surprised at her inclusion, she would be needed to assess Alase's mental condition, but Laura?

No one really talked during the long drive, and the tension that developed unnerved Trophy more. She was glad when Solace finally parked the car in front of the cottage.

"Just Trophy and I will go inside for now. This won't take long." Baralai stated as he got out of the car and then assisted his slave wife out, whispering something to Laura before he closed the door. "Are you ready?" he asked Trophy.

"No, but I want this over with." Trophy wanted his plan to succeed, and hoped she could help him. "How can I help?"

"Never forget who you are." he told her sternly, then rang the doorbell. "It's showtime.".


	10. Chapter 10

"Right on time as I expected." Arrass said with a smug condescending smile as he once again led them to the dining room. Trophy noticed Alase hiding under the table. She wanted to reassure her that she'd be safe now, but Baralai had a plan and she trusted him implicitly, so she'd just follow his lead and not do anything she wasn't told to do.

"Get out from under there!" Arrass snapped at Alase, who reluctantly obeyed, keeping her head down, and Trophy barely stifled a gasp at the marks on her calves…no wonder she was crawling on all fours instead of walking. "So, what's it's going to be? Your wife or your career?" Arrass asked Baralai.

"Give me yours, I'll give you mine." he replied.

"I knew nothing meant more to you than your career." Arrass sneered. "Whore, go put these on your replacement." he ordered her as he took the shackles off and handed them to her. Whore looked down uneasily at the shackles as she took hold of them. She was so used to them that being without them made her feel naked, but that wasn't the source of her sudden discontent. "Go!" he spat at her with his hand on his belt.

Trophy had been stunned into silence when Baralai gave his response to Arrass' ultimatum, but now she found her voice as Alase slowly crawled closer. "Master? What are you doing?" she asked her husband.

"He's your Master now." Baralai coldly replied.

"Are you serious?" Trophy demanded to know. "This is your…"

Baralai quickly struck her before she had a chance to finish her sentence. "I didn't know you let your slaves talk back." he taunted Arrass while Trophy put her hand to her reddened cheek and stared at her husband with hurt eyes.

"I don't." He strode forward and took the gag out of his pocket and put it on Trophy before she even knew what was happening.

Despite her growing fear, she struck back at Arrass and bolted for the door, only to have Baralai shove her away from it hard, and she landed on the floor next to Whore, who was suffering her own emotional turmoil. She knew she was to be returned to her Master Baralai, but she knew nothing about being traded, and it was tearing her apart. She was being replaced by another woman who had the unmitigated gall to strike him! Whore could handle being apart from her Light with his promise that nothing could actually separate them, but not someone else in her place with him. Having become unable to hate her Light, she directed all her anger at Trophy as she erupted in violent jealousy.

"You're not worthy!" Whore tried to scream as she attacked Trophy with the shackles, but her voice was too broken to do more than whisper, and her attack was also broken since she was limited to only striking Trophy's legs from her position, but Baralai wrenched the shackles from her hands, putting them on his wife who had been trying to get away from her attacker .

A furious Arrass pulled Whore up by her hair. "Did you just disobey me?" he asked her angrily as she suddenly fell silent when realized she had crossed an unforgivable line.

"She's mine now. You deal with yours, and I'll deal with mine." Baralai pointed out.

"Fine." Arrass agreed, opening the door and dumping Whore unceremoniously onto the ground outside. "I'm done with you." He slammed the door as soon as Baralai stepped out, who heard the deadbolt slam shut as well.

Whore wasn't aware of Baralai picking her up at first, not until he opened the door to his luxury automobile, and then she turned hysterical, more from the shock of being cast aside by her Light than the fear of being outside for the first time in weeks.

"What the…" Laura blinked in disbelief at she took in the sight of a naked and injured Alase in Baralai's arms. An Alase who was mumbling incoherently as she tried ineffectually to free herself from him.

"Change of plans, as soon as we drive off, go help her." Baralai told Laura with an undertone of desperate urgency in his usually calm voice.

"You son of a behemoth!" Laura swore. "You bet your ass I'll help her, then you and I are going to have a **talk**." She hurriedly got out as Baralai carefully put Alase in the backseat and sat next to her.

"Let's go." he said when Laura angrily shut the door for him, and Solace took off. When they came to the first curve, she pulled over and parked where they couldn't be seen from the cottage. "I'll be back." Baralai said to Alase as he opened the door. "You're safe now. She'll take care of you." he indicated Solace before carefully closing the door and heading back to the cottage.

"I'm coming back there with you, okay?" Solace got out of the driver's seat and came around to the back to sit with the still hysterical Alase.

Whore barely heard anything, being put in a car against her will again had triggered an overwhelming fear within her, adding to the mental anguish she felt at being rejected by Arrass, and she was dangerously close to becoming catatonic as she curled up in the fetal position, still mumbling in whispers.

"I'm glad you're talking, because I have some questions for you, okay?" Solace put her hand on Alase's head and started gently stroking her hair.

Being touched with kindness for the first time she could remember penetrated Whore's torment with confusion, as the gesture evoked feelings completely alien to her. She felt like she was under attack, and she struck out blindly to protect herself.

"No." Solace easily grabbed Alase's wrists and held them firmly back against their user's body. "You must stop that." she said gently, but in an unarguable tone.

Whore's eyes widened and she focused on Solace as the mild use of force coupled with the authoritative command brought her back to herself. Her Light had acted the same way, just with more force…what was going on?

"Good, you're paying attention. Can you tell me who you are?" Solace asked her.

"My name is Whore. I exist only for the pleasure of others." she automatically replied, as her fractured mind's quest for a means to cope without her Light struck gold. She remembered her Master Baralai telling her that this woman would take care of her, and she was talking just like her Light had…could this be her new Light? Was that Baralai's purpose, to give her to them? "Who are you?" she dared to ask.

"My name is Patrice." Solace replied, controlling the anger she felt at what Alase had been brainwashed into believing she was, by violent means judging from the marks on her. "I'm here to help you."

"Thank you for helping me." Whore smiled genuinely for the first time in weeks as Solace's remarks unwittingly fed into her delusion by echoing what Arrass had told her…she did have a new Light! That was why she was traded off, it was time for her to move on to the next Light. She hadn't been rejected at all, and she was safe now, just like her Master Baralai said, and she became irreversibly attached to Patrice in that moment, as the only way to save her remaining sanity from a life without Arrass.

Trophy was also desperately trying to cope with _her_ new situation. She wanted to believe in Baralai's plan, but what kind of a plan involved doing this to her? Arrass had shackled her in the confusion after Alase's failed attack, and now he was dragging her somewhere through the cottage. He taunted her as he opened the cellar door and pulled her with him down the stairs as she struggled in vain to free herself.

"I've always wanted to try an Al Bhed, but you women were always so damned independent. Gotta hand it to Baralai, he's got some skill if he turned their leader's daughter into his private call girl. Say, Callie would be a good name for you, wouldn't it? That's who you are now, understand?" Arrass told her.

"Who you are." Those words reverberated in Trophy's head. Baralai had told her to never forget who she was, and he had constantly reminded her of what she had accomplished. Now to escape, she had to draw on her skills honed from her rough and tumble childhood into her teenage years when she joined the fights against Sin and Vegnagun. Coupled with the commonplace fiend battles, she could do this. She still struggled, but now she looked around to plan her next move. When he took one arm off her to put his hand on the panel to open the door to the room he had kept Alase in, she realized she was going to have to take her only chance to escape now or end up like Alase.

"Get in there." Arrass went to shove Trophy into the room, but she ducked under his arms and slammed her full weight into him, knocking him painfully into the door frame before she sped for the stairs. She was halfway up them when he reappeared, cursing at her in the foulest language she had ever heard, but she didn't stop to look back, she kept her eyes on the open door above, and never saw the bent nail sticking up out of the rickety old stairs that caught one of the chain links of her shackles. Trophy never even had a chance to scream as she fell, hitting her head on the corner of the stairs and tumbling backwards, right into the waiting arms of Arrass.


	11. Chapter 11

Laura was fuming as she tried the front door of the cottage unsuccessfully. Baralai had actually placed his wife in some kind of danger and then just drove off, expecting Laura to save her. She had given him more credit than to do something so asinine!

Circling around to the back, she didn't have expect to have much luck with the glass door, but she was pleasantly surprised when it opened. Leaving it open in case a quick getaway was needed, she quietly snuck inside. She was heading towards the kitchen when she heard loud noises coming from the other hallway. Going into the kitchen to grab a knife, she hurried towards the source of the sound, coming upon the open cellar door. Unsure what she would find, Laura cautiously crept downstairs, trying to ignore the uneasiness she felt. There was an atmosphere of darkness that had nothing to do with the bad lighting. She heard more sounds and tightened her grip on the knife as she headed in that direction.

Arrass callously dumped the barely conscious Trophy on to the table, handcuffing her to the eye bolt before retrieving his scissors from the wooden box he had brought down earlier, in case Baralai handed her over to him. "Let's get you looking like a proper slave." he said as he began cutting all her clothes off. "Well, what do we have here?"

Trophy started struggling again when she felt him roughly fondle her ass, his seeking fingers having discovered the butt plug she always wore when leaving the house. She tried to yell at him to stop, but she was still gagged and could only make sounds, not words.

"You hiding something special up there?" he asked her tauntingly as he pulled the plug out. "Baralai must have thought so, he always did like to keep the choicest goods for himself. I think we'll finish stripping you later, I want to find out how good you are." He put the scissors down on the table and started unfastening his pants as Trophy's struggling intensified. "You can fight all you want, all you're going to do is make this hurt more. Alase learned quickly, I hope you're smarter than she is."

Trophy shook her head in denial as she felt his naked flesh against hers. She was hopelessly trapped, bound and gagged by someone who hated her husband enough to spend years plotting revenge…and he was going to get it now, she thought despairingly as he forced her cheeks apart. Tears filled her eyes as she waited for the defilement to start, but it never came.

"You!" Laura spat from the open doorway, the sight of Arrass about to rape Trophy filling her with rage. She brandished the knife for a moment, the blade gleaming wickedly in the bright light, then launched herself at him, knocking them both onto the floor, where they rolled around on the floor, fighting over the knife. "I've been waiting a long time for this!" she told him angrily when she got him pinned under her, about to stab him when he suddenly knocked it out of her hand. "Like that matters." she said unconcernedly, head-butting him before she decided her fist would be more effective, and she slammed hers into his face over and over again until he went slack. Sporting a malicious smiled that echoed one of his own, she casually got up and turned her attention to Trophy still restrained on the low table, triumph turning to horror as she saw the knife sticking out of her friend's neck.

Baralai was halfway back to the cottage when an emergency vehicle carrying medical personnel and peace officers passed him, some of them looking inquiringly at the sight of Bevelle's leader just walking down a deserted road towards the scene of some kind of serious incident. He started walking faster, muttering a quick prayer that Trophy was safe and his plan had worked…there were so many damned variables! At least he had been seen far enough away to confirm his alibi. When he finally arrived, Laura was outside the cottage, pacing nervously, stopping when she saw him approaching.

"You bastard!" she whispered fiercely as she pulled him aside. "I thought better of you than this!"

"It was the only way." he replied defensively. "How is she?"

"I'm waiting to find out, there wasn't room for me to stay with her, not with all the responders and investigators….if she doesn't make it, neither will you!" Laura promised him, feeling better with how he blanched. "Nice to know you do care about her."

"What happened?" he asked, ignoring Laura's comments since he understood why she was angry.

"He knocked the knife out of my hand, so I knocked him out. But the knife lodged in her neck." she pointedly told him, glad he blanched again.

"Well, you are all very lucky." One of the medical responders said, coming out of the cottage. "She's got a mild concussion and some bruising, but the knife luckily didn't penetrate very deep, and missed the artery. She'll have a nice scar there, but she's going to be okay. We need to take her back with us though, we've got to do a more thorough examination."

"And I've got some more thorough questions for you." Beclem said, coming out of the cottage next. "I'm in charge of this investigation now."


	12. Chapter 12

"Can we do this somewhere in private?" Baralai suggested to Beclem. "There are extenuating circumstances that cannot be discussed openly."

"Fine. I've already got Lady Laura's statement, I just need yours." Beclem agreed, wanting to know what could possibly explain the disturbing scene downstairs. He had thought he had seen it all until today…

"Let me make a call." Baralai took out his phone and dialed a number. "We're ready, Patrice. Beclem needs to know what happened." Hanging up, he nodded at Beclem. "She'll be here in a few moments."

Beclem wondered if he meant _the_ Patrice, older wife of Meyvn Nooj, his own leader. Sure enough, when the luxury automobile pulled up, he recognized her in the driver's seat. The back had tinted windows, so he didn't know what was in there.

"Hello, Beclem. It's nice to finally meet you." she said after she got out. "I must warn you though, I can't let you or anyone talk to her yet, only listen." she told him before opening the back door and climbing in.

Becoming intrigued despite himself, Beclem climbed in after her, his eyes widening in surprise after they adjusted to the dimmer light and was confronted with another naked and battered woman. Whore looked at him and Laura with puzzling fear, that small voice telling her she should know who they are, but not knowing made her think she was failing her Light and that terrified her. She relaxed a little when Patrice put a reassuring and protective hand on her shoulder.

"Please tell him who you are." she said to Alase.

"My name is Whore. I exist only for the pleasure of others." Alase repeated.

"Now tell him what you are." Patrice told her.

"I am Master Baralai's fucking slave. He did this to me." Whore felt more confused as Patrice patted her approvingly. Positive reinforcement was so foreign to her that she wasn't sure if she was being punished or tested.

"If you want to talk to him now, please go in the front seat and close the privacy window. Until I know more about her…experience, I can't have anyone talk to her and risk more damage being done." Patrice firmly told Beclem.

"That was the Lady Alase." Baralai informed Beclem when the privacy window was securely closed.

"What are you talking about? She's in jail! And what does that have to do with your wife being attacked?!" Beclem fired his questions at him. "You're showing me another victim who says you're the one responsible!"

"To get her to safety, I left my wife and Laura at the cottage while Patrice and I drove off, then I went back to see what happened. You saw me walking, so I had no way to know what transpired there. That's my official statement. Unofficially, I did my own investigation when I learned about Alase, but you'll have to talk to my wife if you want answers about what happened to her, that crime should be your focus, not Lady Alase." Baralai replied calmly, only able to keep his cool because he knew Trophy was going to be okay and he could proceed with his plan.

Beclem frowned. He still harbored nothing but ill will towards the name of Yevon for all that the priesthood had done to his Crusader brethren, not to mention the rest of Spira, and now the leader of New Yevon was trying to tell him how to run his investigation. Only his discipline kept him from arresting Baralai on the spot for obstruction, since he felt a need to do something to work off the emotions this investigation was evoking within him. "You'll be hearing from me again." Beclem angrily told him before getting out of the car and waving down the emergency vehicle as it was driving by.

"I'll drive you back to my house and then I'm going to the hospital." Baralai said after he lowered the privacy window enough to talk through it.

"I'm going to the hospital with you." Laura told him in no uncertain terms.

"Very well." Baralai wasn't surprised she was still upset, and he closed the privacy window again.

"You had such an eventful day, why don't you rest now?" Patrice kindly suggested to Alase. Whore was used to be giving orders posed as questions, and she felt better with the proprietary way her new Light was acting towards her, laying down the law about who had access to her, that was how it should be. She curled up on the backseat, putting her head on Patrice's lap and closing her eyes. "I know why he wanted me here, but why did Baralai want you here?" Patrice asked Laura as she started absently stroking Alase's hair.

"I'm guessing he knew I'd want to be involved, since I owe that bastard for Holly." Laura replied, a bitter edge to her voice.

"Who's Holly?" Patrice wondered.

"My sister." Laura informed her.

"I didn't know you had a sister." Patrice blinked in surprise.

"I don't anymore. She killed herself when _he_ got through with her." Laura said flatly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Laura." Patrice told her.

"I'll be fine now. Not only did I get to beat him unconscious, but now he'll really learn what rape's like where he's going." Laura smiled vindictively.

"That's a small comfort." Patrice agreed. "But please don't use the R word around her. I don't think she understands that word, and I don't want to shock her into a breakdown that might be irreversible."

"Yeah, don't worry, I won't jeopardize any chance of recovery she has." Laura assured her, remembering how it felt that her sister wouldn't accept her help. "I don't want him winning again."

Whore's mind was still in such a chaotic state that her peaceful rest soon devolved into a confusing jumble of vague images that kept fading in and out, and she had the distinct impression she should know what they were. It filled her with fear that she was missing something vital, but she was even more afraid of learning anything without permission. Waking up whimpering in fear, she found herself in a strange bed.

"Yes, I know it hurts, but it'll make you better, I promise." Patrice said soothingly, mistaking the reason for Alase's discomfort as she applied antiseptic to the lash marks on her legs. "I wanted to get it all done before you woke up. Do you want a pill to make the pain go away?"

Whore shook her head, feeling the question must be a test. Her new Light was hurting her for her own good, and that was just as it should be, and she almost felt happy as she started looking at her new surroundings. It was a very nice room, with more furniture than just the bed, and it was richly decorated. There was also no window, being the suite Trophy stayed in the week her wedding was being arranged, and not having to look outside made Whore feel even better.

"You're in Baralai's house now." Patrice explained. "He's not here right now, he went to the hospital to be with his wife after he carried you up here." Anything else she might have said was interrupted by a sudden loud knocking on the door.


	13. Chapter 13

"The wound isn't as deep as we thought, but we're going to wait until we get you to the hospital to remove it just in case, alright?" the medic was telling her as they put her in the ambulance, but Trophy was only half-listening as she tried unsuccessfully to nod, her head and neck in a special brace to keep the knife in place. Her mind was as chaotic as Alase's as she tried to reason with the enormity of what happened to her. She had almost been raped and killed during the execution of Baralai's plan to avoid mere blackmail! He must not have wanted it to happen, since he had given her hints it was going to be bad, and his telling her to remember who she was seemed like he was telling her to fight, but he still knowingly put her in danger. Her thoughts were interrupted by the vehicle suddenly stopping, and she heard Beclem's voice as he boarded.

"I'm going to ask you some questions now, since your husband said you have all the answers." he told her as he sat down next to the medic attending her. "But you've still got the knife in your throat, so I'm just going to ask you yes or no questions, and you can put your thumb up or down to answer, understand?"

Trophy wearily lifted a thumb up, almost wanting to laugh that Beclem was still the same old tunnel-visioned jerkish ass he had always been.

"Did your husband leave you and Lady Laura alone in the cottage with Arrass?" he asked her. Trophy hesitated before turning her thumb down. Beclem nodded, Lady Laura had told him she was outside the cottage when Baralai took off. "So you were by yourself with Arrass?" At the thumbs up, he continued. "Is he the one that attacked you? Lady Laura was the one trying to save you? Did you try to fight or escape on your own?" After all the positive answers, he finally asked a question that got a negative response. "So you never consented to the assault?"

Trophy turned her thumb down just as they were pulling into the emergency bay at the hospital. Once she was taken inside, Beclem went straight to the security office, having learned the layout of the hospital while he was working there. "An assault victim was just brought in, I want her registered as an unknown transient." he pompously ordered the lone guard there watching the monitors.

"But isn't she the…" the guard started to question him.

"Not today she isn't." Beclem interrupted rudely. "And she is to have no visitors until I come back. If her husband shows up, stall him. Feel free to tell him you're acting on my orders."

"Stay where you are." Patrice told Alase, covering her naked body with the bedspread before she opened the door, confronted by Beclem and an unfamiliar man and woman each holding a clipboard, while Baralai's butler was stuttering apologies for the interruption and complaining about the lack of the intruders' manners. "What do you want?" Patrice asked Beclem flatly.

"I have a court order here allowing me to have that woman analyzed by our own psychologists." Beclem handed Patrice the legal document as he gestured toward Alase. "And if she has information relevant to my investigation, we'll put her in protective custody as a material witness." he added, his attempt to be reassuring coming across as high-handness.

Patrice frowned as she scanned the document. "Fine, but nothing states how long the analysis can last, so if you cross the line and put her at risk, not only will I personally throw you all out, I'll see to it that the next line you cross will be the unemployment line."

Beclem was taken aback by such a coldly delivered threat from his superior's wife, who was known to have an agreeably calm temperament, and he nodded agreement before he knew what he was doing. "Either one of them can do it, whatever you think she'd feel more comfortable with."

"Both of them can, I want to see which gender she responds to more." Patrice replied quietly so Alase wouldn't overhear.

"I'll leave you to it then, I'm going back to the hospital to finish interviewing Lady Rikku before she talks to her husband." Beclem turned sharply on his heel and left.

"Can you tell us your name?" the woman asked Alase once Patrice moved to allow them entry into the room, but she made them stay at least two feet away from the bed.

"My name is Whore. I exist only for the pleasure of others." Whore repeated once again. It was exactly like she had been told, she was constantly being asked questions over and over again. She smiled happily, comforted by even more proof that her Light never lied and was so protective of her, having blended her male and female Lights into one dual-natured entity in her head to handle the confusion she felt when thinking about them both.

"Who gave you that name?" the man asked, and Whore just stared blankly at him, not understanding the question. Her name was who she was, and she had always been herself, hadn't she?

"Do you know this man?" the woman pulled a picture of Arrass out from her clipboard and held it out for her to see.

"It's _Him_!" she blurted out, throwing the bedspread off herself as she tried to launch herself at the woman, but her injured body failed and she fell to the floor, crawling to the woman and waving her hands up to grab the picture.

"What do you mean by _Him_?" the man asked, taking the picture from his colleague, and hiding it in his clipboard.

Whore couldn't answer, the crushing disappointment she felt at her weak body depriving her of her Light overwhelming her, and she started crying uncontrollably as she huddled on the floor, the psychologists momentarily losing their composure as they witnessed the physical and mental effects of what Alase had been subjected to.

"Give me the picture if you want her to answer more questions." Patrice demanded, and the man reluctantly handed it to her. "It's okay, just calm down and you can have the picture." She gently stroked Alase's hair as she repeated her promise until she calmed down enough to speak again.

"He's my Light." Whore eagerly took the picture from Patrice and clutched it to her.

"Your Light? What do you mean by that?" the man asked.

"They guide me so I can fulfill my destiny as Master Baralai's fucking slave. It's what I've always wanted, just like his baby." Whore replied, an almost imbecilic smile appearing on her face, but none of the others in the room failed to notice the lack of enthusiasm in her almost robotic recital.

"They? How many Lights do you have?" the woman asked.

"I…I'm not sure." Whore admitted, feeling puzzled. "I've only had two."

"Two? Who's your other one?" This time Patrice asked the question.

"You are." Whore looked adoringly at the older woman, feeling confident this was a test. Her Light knew who they were.

Patrice stared at her in surprise, trying to recover her composure as she turned to the two psychologists. "That's enough questions. You can talk to her at a later date, you've excited her too much and she needs to adjust to her new surroundings." she started rambling and pointed firmly towards the door. When they reluctantly left, she sighed heavily. Alase's revelation that she considered her in the same category as Arrass was beyond disturbing, but being viewed as no different than that bastard was nothing compared to the fact that it showed Alase was now incapable of functioning on her own, she couldn't survive without having someone she was totally dependent on.


	14. Chapter 14

"The doctor assures me you can talk now, so I want a full statement from you about what happened today, and you can start with why your husband's name is on your back." Beclem said curtly.

"That's none of your business." Trophy snapped weakly as she lay in the hospital bed, her pale complexion having nothing to do with her recent physical ordeal. She wanted to say that Baralai had nothing to do with what happened to her, but that wasn't exactly true, and that hurt her worse than anything else.

"When I'm in charge of an investigation, everything is my business." he fired back.

"If you want answers, let me talk to my husband or rest some." Trophy demanded. "Either way, get out of my room."

"Sir?" the female psychologist interrupted the argument as she and her male colleague entered the room.

"What are you two doing back here so soon?" Beclem asked, unpleasantly surprised at their return.

"Lady Patrice terminated our analysis when the subject became too excited." the man replied.

"She was right to do so, and we didn't need any more time with the subject anyway. Her mental state was rather obvious very quickly." the woman added.

"Which was?" Beclem wanted to know.

"She's clearly unstable, and seems to view the man you gave us the picture of as some sort of holy guiding force in her life. Any information she has would not be reliable, given that her view of reality is based on whoever's controlling her. She has no independence of thought." the woman explained.

"If he's not controlling her now, who is?" Beclem asked.

"Lady Patrice." the man answered.

"Why are you discussing my wife?" Nooj's voice startled them all.

"Why don't you take a bath?" Patrice suggested to Alase. "And then we can find you something pretty to wear."

Whore frowned and shook her head vehemently at the idea of wearing clothes, especially pretty ones. And she didn't want to speak anymore, feeling wrong for having talked more today than she had in…ever?

"You don't want a bath?" With no response from her, Patrice continued. "So you don't want to wear something pretty?" Alase shook her head vehemently again. "Okay, then we'll just do the bath and go from there. Can you bathe yourself?" she asked, and Alase nodded. "The door's there." Patrice gestured.

Whore crawled herself carefully to the adjoining bathroom. Without the shackles, she felt wrong walking anyway, and she was used to being on all fours for food and sex. She was stunned when she opened the door and saw the large whirlpool bathtub. There were also toiletries on its ledge that she didn't recognize. She was used to a simple tub with a bar of soap that she used for her hair too.

"Is everything okay?" Patrice asked concernedly when the woman didn't move. Whore was scared she'd be punished for being stupid, so she kept silent. "Why don't you get in and I'll bathe you."

Whore nervously obeyed, wondering what was in store for her, and it was weird indeed. The sensation of having someone's hands on her when it wasn't related to punishment or sex was new, and she still didn't know how she was supposed to feel about it. She accepted it though, just as she had having her hair stroked by her Light. She would accept anything from them.

"So do you enjoy being a fucking slave?" Patrice asked indifferently.

Whore stared blankly at her, not quite understanding the question. "I've always wanted to be Master Baralai's fucking slave." she repeated once more, thinking that was the proper answer.

"I'm sure." Patrice was glad she wasn't protesting being cosseted as she bathed and shampooed the woman, and with some adroit questioning, her heart broke more for her as she learned more of what happened. Her hatred of Arrass also increased for how he tortured Alase. It was obvious he knew exactly what he was doing, and she would have to explain to everyone that there was no hope for recovery of her original personality. Alase was dead.


	15. Chapter 15

"What's going on here?" Nooj asked Beclem .

"This woman was assaulted today, and I'm trying to get a full statement from her, sir." Beclem explained.

" _This_ woman is Lady Rikku, and not only does she outrank all of you, but by your own admission, she's not the criminal." Nooj told Beclem in a censorial tone. "Stop treating her like one and give her whatever she asks for."

"Are you interfering in this investigation, Sir?" Beclem asked out of frustration. It was bad enough he had to deal with the most disturbing crime he had ever come across, but it involving the Bevelle elite who seemed to be closing ranks and stonewalling him made him wonder if the truth they were hiding was worse than what he already knew. It was too much like the disgusting betrayal the Yevon priesthood committed against all of Spira.

"I came to see a friend and give her a message." Nooj replied and turned his attention to Trophy, smiling at her. "Your husband said to tell you that all he ever wanted was for you to tell the truth. Now I'm going to pick up my wife at your place." Nooj shot Beclem a hard warning glance. "Give Lady Rikku whatever she asks for." he said as he left the room.

"You can go now." Beclem told the psychologists. "I'm going to have something to eat and be back after you've rested, _Lady_ Rikku." He was about to tell her how lucky she was, frowning when he realized how that sounded, and perhaps his superior was right that perhaps he had been mistaken in his tactics.

When the door closed behind Beclem, Trophy turned on the television onto a blitzball sports channel, but she was only half-focusing on the game, her mind replaying Nooj's message. Baralai wanted her to tell the truth when he wouldn't do it for her! Suddenly the phrasing of his message got through to her, and she remembered how he had promised her that very morning how she'd get what she always wanted when this was over. But all she had ever wanted was to not have to hide their relationship… _ **this**_ was how he decided to accomplish it? Trophy's heartache increased and she turned the television off, closing her eyes to try and shut out what she would have to do when the inevitable confrontation happened.

"Dry yourself off." Patrice ordered Whore as she handed her a towel. "Do you know what a hair dryer is?" When Whore shook her head, Patrice frowned. "I will show you how to use it, but I won't show you again, just like I won't show you how to properly take a bath anymore." She was backtracking a bit, having realized almost too late that gentle treatment wouldn't work with Whore yet, and coming up with a new plan to help her.

Whore accepted Patrice's explanation while having her hair dried, feeling better with being addressed by her Light harshly. Her confusion was cleared up, believing she had misunderstood the bath, she was just being shown what to do. She hoped her Light wouldn't know how stupid she had been. It was this new environment, and she just had to keep in mind everything she had been taught so far, so she wouldn't disappoint her Light again. They were so patient with her incompetence.

"Now go sit at the vanity." Patrice demanded, and Whore crawled back into the bedroom, but she didn't know what a vanity was, so she crawled to only thing she didn't recognize, a small table with a built-in mirror on top of it. She got into the padded chair in front of it, hanging her head down to avoid seeing herself. "Show me how you brush your hair." Whore picked up the brush on the table and did her hair quickly, having only bothered to keep the worst tangles out at the cottage, since her Light didn't seem to care about her hair. "Why don't you look at yourself in the mirror?" Patrice asked, keeping her voice neutral.

"Because I'm…I'm ugly." Whore reluctantly admitted.

Patrice hid her shock at Whore's confession. Alase may have been an arrogant bitch, but she had reason when it came to her looks, the woman was extremely attractive. To believe she was now ugly…it was another sad confirmation that Alase was gone. "What if I could make you beautiful?" she asked her.

"I can't be." Whore replied despairingly.

"Are you saying your Light can't do that for you?" Patrice's question was delivered in a forbidding tone, and Whore blanched, realizing she had doubted her Light, and scared of what her punishment would be.

"Ple…please show the mercy you always have." Whore stuttered apologetically.

"I'm going to discuss your fate with Master Baralai now, and we'll let you know what we decide to do with you." Patrice told her sternly. "Now get in bed and close your eyes." She waited until Whore did as she was told before leaving the room, intending to seek out the butler to find out if Baralai was home yet, but she was surprised to see her husband coming up the hallway towards her.

"There you are." Nooj said. "Are you ready to go home yet or tell me what's been going on?"

"I have to talk to Baralai first before going home, and I'll explain things to you at the same time." she promised her husband and Master. "Is he home?"

"I think he should be picking Trophy up from the hospital now." he replied.

Baralai was met at the door to his wife's room by Beclem himself. "You can see her if you want, but the door stays open." Beclem told the leader of Bevelle, his voice full of the contempt he felt for him. Baralai didn't bother replying except with a nod, having expected such a reaction from the man. It was his wife's reaction that concerned him now as he quietly opened the door. She appeared to be sleeping, but her eyes opened as he sat down in the chair next to her bed.

"You finally came." she wearily said, barely looking at him before she turned her head to look out the window. "But…how **could** you?!" she bitterly demanded to know as her eyes filled with tears she refused to shed. "I trusted you so much, and you…" Trophy summoned the courage to force the dreaded words out . "I know why you did what you did, but how can I trust you like that again?"

It was worse than Baralai feared, as her statement hit him as much as if she had actually slapped him. Her outrage over today's events he was prepared to handle, her fright too, but distrust…had he just destroyed their relationship?


	16. Chapter 16

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but the doctor has released Lady Rikku, so we just need these forms signed." The head nurse said as she entered the room with a clipboard.

"I'll sign it myself." Trophy replied tiredly, holding her hand out for it. "I want to get home and get some real clothes on." she said as she signed the form and handed the clipboard back to the nurse. That wasn't exactly the truth, but she did want to get out of the hospital gown she was stuck in. She hated being back in the hospital, with all the bad memories it brought back, and she was already upset enough.

"Thank you, Lady Rikku. And here's a prescription for antibiotic cream, you can pick it up at the hospital pharmacy." the nurse added, handing the slip of paper to her before leaving with the clipboard.

Baralai and Trophy silently went to the pharmacy and got the cream, lost in their own thoughts about the day's events, neither wondering where Beclem had gotten to. She stared blankly at Baralai for a moment when he suggested they take the service elevator exit. "There are already rumours about what happened to you, and you'd be hounded by reporters as soon as you entered the lobby." he pointed out.

Trophy wondered why she was surprised by that. "They'd be after both of us, wouldn't they?" She had gotten used to becoming a newsworthy person of interest after she married Baralai, but she didn't have the strength to deal with that right now. "Fine, let's just get home. I need some peace and quiet. I want my old room cleaned."

"It has been, but I'm not sure that's a good idea." Baralai knew she wanted to be apart from him, and he wondered if there was anything he could say to get her to understand how much he regretted what happened.

"Why?" Trophy frowned. His reluctance to accede to her request only added to her conflicting emotions. She was angry with him and glad at the same time, to know that he didn't like her wanting to be away from him.

"That's where she is right now." he quietly said as the elevators doors opened for them to enter it.

"Oh." Trophy didn't say anymore, knowing he meant Alase, and wondering what they were going to do about her. She was pregnant with Baralai's child, and…Trophy felt the tears fill up her eyes again as exhaustion overcame her with the realization that this nightmarish day might be over soon, but the consequences were only just beginning. "I…I don't feel good." she said, and Baralai barely caught her as she collapsed.

Whore's eyes were also filled with tears as she lay in bed, and she couldn't stop them from falling. Her eyes were shut tight as she obeyed her Light's command, grieving over her lapse of faith when her Light offered to make her beautiful. She knew her Light was capable of miraculous things, but Whore had still doubted. Her grief was matched only by sheer terror over what fate Master Baralai and her Light would mete out to her. The worst part was she knew she deserved it, as she always did. Her only hope was to beg again for mercy when they returned. She knew how to beg, after all.

Trophy woke up to find herself in the front passenger seat of their car, and was surprised to find Baralai driving. He hardly ever did, but at least it meant no one else would see her until she could get home and fix herself up. The last thing she remembered was starting to get in the elevator. "What happened?"

"The doctor said you were just more worn out than you thought, and just to take you home. All you need a couple days of bed rest and you'll be fine." he told her, keeping his eyes on the road.

Trophy was sure she wouldn't be fine for a long time, but she didn't feel like arguing the point. "Solitude is all I need right now." She turned to look out her window as the unbidden words came out. That was never something she had ever expected to say, she always enjoyed being around people, but things were so messed up, and she needed time to sort things out by herself.

"We'll see what Solace has to say about our guest." was Baralai's reply, and neither of them spoke again until they reached their house, where the butler was awaiting their return.

"Lady Patrice and Lord Nooj are waiting for you in your study." he informed them after opening the front door for them.

"I'm going to get dressed first." Trophy said, hurrying up the stairs to their room, tearing the hospital gown off her as soon as she opened the door, and grabbing the robe she usually wore around the house. "That's better." she said, feeling almost normal for a moment.

"What happened to your neck?" Corda asked when Trophy popped in to check on the twins.

"Oh, it's nothing serious." she replied, smiling as she watched Saudade happily drinking her bottle while Yunan drooled on his teddy bear while he napped. "I just wanted to see them. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to chat with our guests downstairs."

Corda sighed as Rikku left. She and Baralai were very good parents, but their behavior sometimes seemed so strange to her. "It takes all kinds, doesn't it?" she said as she suddenly caught a whiff of something, and looked at Saudade smiling almost serenely at her, the bottle laying by her side. "Well, I guess you thought I was insulting your Mommy and Daddy, didn't you? And you aren't shy about letting me know what you thought about it, huh? Well, let's change you, because you actually have wonderful parents, who don't need a smelly daughter."

"She'll be with us as soon as she gets dressed." Baralai said without preamble as he entered his study. "Then we can get down to business."

"You mean this isn't a social call?" Nooj remarked dryly, letting his sarcasm hide his concern. Baralai was such a stickler for etiquette, but he didn't even greet them before sitting down at his desk and pouring himself a stiff drink, not offering them any before he downed his glass in one gulp.

"How is Trophy? What did the doctor say?" Solace asked.

"You can ask her when she gets here." Baralai replied as he poured himself another drink, protesting when Nooj took it from him.

"I'm not asking you to share, since you seem to have forgotten your manners." Nooj told him, and Baralai didn't get a chance to respond, since Trophy arrived then.

"How are you?" Solace asked her immediately.

"I'll be fine with some peace and quiet, according to the doctor." Trophy informed her, and found herself in a tight hug with Solace, the older woman disturbed by her tone of voice and wanting to comfort her. When she released her, Trophy took her place by Baralai's chair out of habit.

"What's the condition of our guest?" Baralai asked Solace as he poured himself another drink, resisting Nooj's attempts to take it as well.

Solace took a deep breath, and with an inscrutable expression on her face, gave them her opinion. "That **_bastard_** knew exactly what he was doing…he dehumanized the fuck out of her. Literally. Alase is as good as dead. There's no hope of recovering her original personality. I think we only have three options for her." She held up three fingers as she finished.

"What are they?" Trophy asked, feeling like she needed to be drinking too, even if she was concerned by Baralai doing it. She wasn't even aware she had started to reach for his glass until he pushed it into her hand. She hesitated before taking it and lifting it up to her lips. The smell wasn't all that pleasant, but she still took a sip. Trophy made a face and put it back down in front of her Master.

Solace started ticking them off on her fingers. "One, we have her institutionalized, which really wouldn't do her any good other than keeping her alive. Two, we let her stay as she is, believing her destiny is to be Baralai's sex slave. She would never be able to leave the premises though, not many would understand her situation. Three, we give her a new identity, so she can accept being treated humanely without it making her crazier, and will be able to go out in public with supervision."

"She's pregnant, presumably with my child. We can't put her in an institution!" Baralai exclaimed.

"Will someone please tell me what exactly is going on here?" Nooj demanded, hitting the floor with his cane. "I know Trophy was attacked, my wife was somehow involved in all this, now there's this pregnant Alase woman you are all talking about, and Beclem is being an ass while he investigates whatever happened, which I know nothing about."

"I'm just doing my job." Beclem's voice startled them all. "Lady Rikku left the hospital before I got a full statement from her, and all of you as well. I've had enough of this conspiracy of silence crap. I want to know what's been going on, once and for all." he told them in his most officious manner.


	17. Chapter 17

"There was a conspiracy of silence, but against me." Baralai spoke first. "My wife and Alase ended up being casualties. Does that clarify things?"

"Not hardly." Beclem realized the man was drinking too much, but at least it meant he finally might get some truth out of him. "Do you mean Arrass was the one conspiring against? Why? And what does Alase have to do with it?" He had stopped guarding Rikku's room when he was informed there was a file on Alase waiting for him back at his desk. "The woman was supposed to be imprisoned for her part in another conspiracy against you, or rather your wife. How did she become a 'casualty' of this one?" Beclem asked disbelievingly.

"Arrass was trying to use her to blackmail me. Didn't I tell you all this before?" Baralai replied as he took another sip from his glass. "But the focus of your investigation should be on the attack on my wife, not Alase."

"Why he shouldn't be tried for his crimes against Alase as well, if he's responsible for turning her into the nut job everyone says she is?" Beclem wanted to know.

"No." Solace told him unequivocally. "She doesn't understand that what he did was a crime, and the stress of taking part in a case against him would send her further over the edge. She'd either become a raving lunatic or be rendered catatonic. Either way, she'd be unable to care for herself and I can't allow that. I **won't**. This 'conspiracy of silence', as you call it, is merely to protect her."

"And me, even though I didn't have enough protection earlier." Trophy finally spoke up. "Arrass attacked me and tried to rape me. My husband had taken Alase to the car, leaving me alone with him, and that's when it happened. I tried to escape, but fell down the stairs and he tied me up to rape me and I think that's when Lady Laura showed up. Is that a full enough statement?"

"Almost." Beclem said, writing in his notepad. "Why were the two of you even at the cottage?" he asked Baralai and Trophy.

"For what he considered a business deal. The rest of us would call it blackmail. He wanted to trade Alase for my wife or my political position." Baralai took another drink.

"And if you refused, what was he threatening to do?" Beclem was glad to get some straight answers finally, even if they were almost as disturbing as the crimes he was investigating.

"To go public with Alase, claiming I'm the one who abused her. The scandal would ruin me politically." Baralai explained.

"Our psychologists agree with Lady Patrice that she's not a reliable witness, so that couldn't have been much of a threat." Beclem retorted almost rudely.

"It is when he impregnated her with my sperm. Why wouldn't it be true if she's carrying my child?" Baralai countered.

"That's only half of it." Trophy added. "Our relationship would have also been made public."

"What are you talking about?" Beclem was getting frustrated by the uncomfortable feeling he was missing something obvious. "Everyone knows you're married!"

"But they don't know that we're not just husband and wife, we're Master and slave." Trophy explained reluctantly.

"You're…what?" Beclem's jaw dropped.

"We don't tell everyone because they won't understand." Baralai said, a slight slur starting to creep into his speech.

"Understand what?" Beclem recovered from their revelation, thinking that Baralai's statement was meant to offend him personally. "That New or not, Yevon's leaders still hide the truth?" He turned his attention to Trophy. "You tried to escape Arrass, why didn't you try to escape him? And how long have you been his slave?"

Trophy sighed. She needed to rest terribly, and lashed out at him with her own frustration over everything. "You're not only an ass, you're an idiot!" she snapped. "I'm not his captive, and until today, I never regretted seducing him into making me his slave. Don't you dare compare with what happened to Alase with the rest of us. What he did to her is…" Trophy faltered as her strength left her then, and she sagged, unable to protest when Baralai pulled her onto his lap.

"What he did is a crime, and it's your job to deal with him. I suggest you question him now." Nooj ordered Beclem after Solace whispered something to him. "And when he asks about Alase, tell him she's gone. I want to see your final report before you give it to the judge. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Beclem replied with ill grace as he left, even though he was glad for an excuse to get out of there.

"We need to hurry up and decide what to do with Alase so Trophy can rest. If we're not going to institutionalize her, do you want her to stay as she is, or give her a new identity?" Solace asked them.

"I don't want another slave, especially that woman, damaged or whole!" Baralai exclaimed fervently.

"How would you give her a new identity?" Trophy wearily asked.

"We'd break her again and remold her." Solace paused as a chagrined expression appeared on her face. "I…uh…didn't know how dependent she was on Arrass at first, now she thinks I'm her Light as well, just like him."

"Her Light?" Nooj favored his wife with a curious glance.

"It means she thinks I'm some sort of holy being who can do no wrong. So with all your help, I can get her to accept a new identity for herself." Solace told them all.

"Why would you need my help for that?" Nooj asked her.

"Because she'd have to live with us during her…transformation." Solace explained. "She's used to being dominated by Arrass, so she needs a male and her Light to keep dominating her. If you're willing, that is. We'd have to make some changes at home, of course."

"Well, thanks to you, my wife needs me to bail her out from having someone worship her." Nooj told Baralai, trying to lighten the mood. He hadn't missed the obvious tension between the usually happy couple, and he wasn't that interested in more complications in his own life, but he trusted his wife's judgment in this situation. And if he could help out Baralai and Trophy by removing a serious complication in _their_ relationship, he could manage. "Fine, she can live with us for a while." he agreed.


	18. Chapter 18

"Are you sure about this?" Trophy asked so quietly it was almost a whisper. She was so tired she could barely walk, so Baralai was holding her. She didn't want to be in his arms, and as soon as this charade was done, she'd tell him why.

"Unfortunately, yes. For the moment, we have to keep treating her the way she's accustomed to." Solace replied as the four of them stood in front of the door.

"Let's get on with it, then." Baralai said, and Nooj opened the door.

"You have been placed under arrest for the attempted kidnapping and violent assault of Lady Rikku." Beclem said as Arrass sat down arrogantly across from him in the interrogation room. "You are allowed to have counsel present, if you wish. This will be recorded, and it made available for your defense."

"You can't charge me with a crime I didn't commit, so I don't need counsel." Arrass sneered.

"I'm not." Beclem replied. "I have enough witness statements corroborating Lady Rikku, who is more than willing to testify against you, and our own evidence we gathered. That's all a judge needs."

"She can't do that!" Arrass blurted out angrily. "You know what she is, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Beclem pretended not to know.

"She's a slave! Baralai gave her to me, so anything I did to her was my right as her Master. There was no crime." Arrass insisted, regaining his composure.

"Lady Rikku disagrees." Beclem was glad they were being filmed, that was the only thing keeping him from bashing the man's face in. "And as I said, that's all a judge needs."

"She's my property, she doesn't have the right to disagree." Arrass started getting belligerent. "Just ask Whore."

"Whore?" It took Beclem a moment to remember that was how Lady Alase identified herself. "Oh, if you mean that woman who was with Lord Baralai, I was told she was gone."

"Gone?" Arrass' composure was momentarily shaken again. " Yea, right. They wouldn't do that. Try another on me or show me her death certificate!" he demanded as his sneer reappeared.

"I don't have to do anything. Your counsel will be able to obtain any relevant material for your defense before the trial. "If there's nothing else you have to tell me, then I'm going to terminate this interview." When Arrass remained silent, Beclem signaled to the guard. "Take him back to his cell."

Once there, Arrass started ranting. "She **can't** be gone. He must be lying. They wouldn't hurt her. Unless she attacked Baralai's slut again and got hurt, that stupid bitch! She would ruin all my hard work destroying them all. But it has to be a lie, she knows the penalty for not obeying. It's about the only thing that worthless cunt knows." He was still muttering curses about her when he was given dinner, which he almost petulantly refused at first.

The door opened and Whore's breath caught as she heard more than one person walk in, but she kept her eyes shut and waited to learn what fate would befall her now.

"You can open your eyes now." Solace told Whore, and she obeyed instantly. "You already know everyone, except my husband, Lord Meyvn Nooj. You will address him as Master." she informed Whore, who stared confusingly at him. Her Light was married to a Master? She hadn't been around more than one other person for so long that she felt even more scared. Her appraisal of Nooj distracted her from noticing Solace nodding at Baralai, who put Trophy down, standing close enough to help her remain upright in her weakened state.

."And you will address **me** as Mistress." Trophy said snidely. "I outrank you. Everyone does really." She suddenly reached forward and slapped her as hard as she could. "And _that_ was for earlier. Now get your sorry self out of my bed!" she commanded.

"You heard her." Solace frowned, and Whore quickly got onto the floor on all fours, waiting expectantly for further orders. She needed something to make sense, Trophy's slap had been so weak compared to how hard she was used to being struck, that it didn't even register as punishment to her. And if she wasn't being punished, what was going on?

"You are obviously not well trained enough for me." Baralai coldly informed her. "The marks all over your body testify to that. My slave wife never had any until you misbehaved. You will be locked up for the night and in the morning, I'm shipping you off to continue your training. Get her out of my sight!"

It was worse than Whore had thought…she had failed at her whole reason for being, and was to be sent away again. She started sobbing uncontrollably, only vaguely aware of being carried out of the room by Nooj.


	19. Chapter 19

Nooj was not happy as he carried the hysterical woman, following Solace to another bedroom. He wasn't fond of crying women in the first place, especially when he was partially responsible for them being that way. After all, he had agreed to take part in her 'rehabilitation'. From what he had been told and witnessed for himself, they had their work cut out for them.

"This is it. Guard her while I fetch her dinner." Solace told her husband in a normal voice, then whispered something to him that Whore was still too distraught to notice. Solace then addressed her as she unlocked the door. "Obey him as you would me." she ordered her.

Nooj set Alase down as Solace headed towards the kitchen. "Get in there!" he snapped.

Whore's ingrained obedience to forceful commands overrode her despair, and she crawled into the bedroom. It wasn't as posh as the one she had just been expelled from, or as large, but it was still nicer than hers had been at the cottage. Nooj followed her inside, but did not give her any further instructions, so she just crawled to a corner and waited, her tears lessening as she concentrated on what her Light had told her. She was to obey Master Nooj the same way, but he wasn't her Light! What was the connection between Lights and Masters? It puzzled her too much, and she gave up, deciding she had to have faith that she would be told if she really needed to know. Her Light was also going to bring her dinner…was she expected to get her first course from her Light's husband? What if she failed and disgraced herself again? She had already been rejected twice today and forced into what amounted to exile, what would happen the third time? Whore's torment returned along with her tears.

Nooj reluctantly looked down at the sobbing woman huddled on the floor. He barely knew Alase, he more knew of her reputation, and her name conjured up an image of an overbearingly arrogant woman. She was gone, replaced by this wretched shell. He knew what it was like to be broken, physically and mentally. But Sin had in essence been nothing more than a mindless killer, who didn't even know who he was. Alase had been singled out and so brutally broken just because Arrass blamed Baralai for his own failures At least his own wife knew what she was doing to help her. She had whispered to him that he was to assert himself as dominant with Alase, using only mild force if necessary. "Stop that at once!" he demanded, and Whore stopped crying with difficulty, not wanting to disappoint anyone again. "That's better. I dislike having to tell you something more than once, understand?" Nooj would have been disgusted if he knew he had just echoed one of the first rules Arrass had beaten into her, but it had a positive effect.

Whore's usually dull eyes shined, suddenly hopeful that maybe he was just like her first Light after all, and she wouldn't have lost anything. That would explain why he was married to her new Light. "Y...yes." she stuttered out her answer, finding it hard to talk over the lump in her throat.

Nooj put the tip of his cane under her chin and forced her head up so she would look at him. "Have you already forgotten how you are to address me?" he said in his most forbidding voice.

"No…Master." she replied. It was then that she realized she had never addressed her Light at all, with a title or a name. Arrass simply told her what to say and do, and she obeyed or was punished, that was it. "Please have mercy on me if I disrespected you." she begged, hoping that wasn't one of her failings.

"Just stay in your corner and be quiet." Nooj told her, thinking she was talking to him. He hoped his wife would be back soon, he felt uncomfortable being alone with Alase. Since Sin nearly killed him and he succumbed to suicidal self-loathing for years afterwards, he had never felt pity for another person…until now.

"Please ask Rian to bring me the twins and see if the cook has something light for my dinner." Trophy asked Baralai as soon as they were alone, to forestall any further attempts by him to apologize. She didn't need that right now. Baralai just nodded and left, and as soon as he left, she stared at the closed door with a heartbroken expression on her face. He was still her Master who knew what she was thinking and provided for her, but that wasn't nearly enough, not tonight. She needed time alone to figure things out. Closing her eyes to try and rest, all she saw was that horrid chamber and felt Arrass touching her. She opened her eyes, wondering how Baralai would react when she told him that's why she didn't want him touching her, it was Arrass whose hands she felt on her.

"My wife wants some time with our twins. Bring them to the last room on the right in the northern wing." Baralai told Rian as soon as he entered the nursery. Yunan and Saudade smiled when they heard his voice, stretching their chubby little arms towards him as they lay in their playpen. Baralai smiled despite himself as he let him each grasp one of his fingers. "You two be good. I'm going to get dinner for your mother now." He gently removed his fingers from their clingy hands, rubbing their full tummies before leaving.

Rian wondered what was going on, Baralai's behavior was as unusual as his order. He shrugged and looked down at the babies. "Come here, you two. I want to check your diapers before we see your mommy."


	20. Chapter 20

Solace was slicing meat when Baralai suddenly appeared, startling her. "Don't sneak up on people when they're holding a knife!" she chided him.

"My apologies." Baralai replied. "I came to tell our chef to prepare something light for my wife. Where is he?"

"I told him that he could take an hour off. I didn't want him backseat cooking while I made something nourishing for Alase. I'll make some more for Trophy too, just let me get some more steak." Solace opened the walk-in refrigerator and grabbed it. "And since we're alone, there's something I want to ask you." She slammed the steak down onto the cutting board. "What on Spira were you thinking?!"

"You too?" Baralai sighed wearily. "I was thinking of how to get Alase safely away from Arrass while exposing him as the sadistic criminal he is."

"And what about Trophy?" she asked pointedly. "She could have ended up like Alase!"

"No!" he vehemently protested that possibility. "I knew Laura wouldn't let that happen any more than I would! She wasn't supposed to be hurt at all!"

"But she was!" Solace vented her outraged frustration by bringing the knife down like a meat cleaver on the steak. "You really couldn't come up with a better plan than that?!"

"I could have easily killed him, but what would that have solved?" Baralai retorted.

"I'll take Trophy's meal up to her after I give Alase hers." Solace told him as her way of ending the conversation.

"Oh, about feeding her, I'm not positive, but I think Arrass made her earn her meals, true to his form." Baralai stopped in the doorway to tell her, remembering how Alase acted during that farce of a dinner at the cottage. "You'll have to find out for sure." He left the kitchen and went to his study to deal with the onslaught of urgent messages from professional and personal contacts. Rumours were already circulating faster than a cactuar, and everyone wanted answers. He also had his unfinished work needing to be dealt with. He had gone to the kitchen to get dinner for himself as well, but what little appetite he had vanished when Solace confronted him as well.

Solace frowned as she carried the tray upstairs. Baralai was right that despite how satisfyingly justified it could have been to kill Arrass, it wouldn't have solved anything. In fact, it would have irreversibly destroyed Alase. Solace's frown deepened. Alase **_was_** destroyed, but she could still function. If they had killed Arrass during her rescue, she would have required institutionalized care for the rest of her life. At least in her state now, they could remould her into someone with more dignity. It wouldn't be too easy, since they kept finding another level of degradation she had been subjected too. She knew however Arrass had made Alase earn her meals, Nooj would not be too willing to go along with it, certainly not without any warning. "Open the door!" she requested loud enough for him to hear. She replaced her frown with a neutral expression before walking into the room. "Thank you." she told Nooj before turning her attention to Alase. "Are you ready for dinner?"

Whore nodded instead of speaking, and Solace frowned again. "Do you want him to give you a caning? You know you are to speak when spoken to." she said coldly.

Whore started crying again. "I'm sorry. I know I don't deserve your mercy, but…"

Nooj tapped the floor hard with his cane. "I already told you to stop that, just like she asked if you were ready for dinner."

"I…I am ready for dinner, yes please." Whore said meekly as she tried to stop crying.

"You know it's not free though. What are you supposed to do before you can eat?" Solace asked, standing in front of her with the tray.

"The first course. I've always been such a cocksucker." Whore answered, looking up at her Light expectantly, hoping that by giving the right answer, she'd be forgiven for misbehaving.

"True, but this is Master Baralai's house, and he doesn't want you, so you'll just have to eat your food to nourish his baby inside you. Tomorrow you will be at our house and you can eat properly then." Solace put the tray down, taking one of the plates from it and putting it front of Alase, along with a napkin and utensils. "You will eat every bit of this and then turn off the lights and go to bed. We are going back to our house to get it ready for you, and we'll take you with us in the morning." Picking the tray back up, she left the room, Nooj following her to lock the door. "I'm going to take this to Trophy and then I'll meet you downstairs." Solace told him and hurried to the northern wing, before he could respond.

Nooj watched her turn the corner and disappear before he headed down to Baralai's study, wanting to have some few choice words with his friend about the mess he'd gotten them all into, but when he heard Baralai's angry voice in some kind of heated exchange, presumably on the phone, he decided to leave it til morning.


	21. Chapter 21

"How have they been tonight, Rian?" Trophy asked him as he entered the room, angling the double stroller inside, which had turned out to be the easiest way to bring them to her.

"A handful as usual." he replied as he unbuckled Yunan first, handing him to her before doing the same for Saudade. "What's going on? You don't look too good."

"Nothing I want to talk about right now. I'm sure you'll hear all the gossip." Trophy said, eagerly cuddling her children. "Could you bring their crib in here too? No, wait, their portable playpen would be easier to move. And plenty of diapers. Oh, and their favorite toys! They'll be sleeping in here with me tonight. Once you do that, you can take the rest of the night off."

Solace knocked on the door just as Rian was leaving to get the things from the nursery. "Oh, hello Rian." she said, surprised to see him.

"Do I smell my dinner?" Trophy asked.

"Yes, it's not much, but it should fill you up. I thought we could talk, but you're busy obviously., We'll see you in the morning when we come to pick her up?"

"Sure, that's fine. Just put the plate on the nightstand, please." Trophy offhandedly agreed as she took turns bouncing the twins up and down on the bed while her dinner was left on the nightstand. "That's your Auntie Solace, you two. Can you say hello?" She smiled fondly at their happy drooling faces. "I wonder when they will be able to talk."

"Probably too soon and not soon enough. Good night." Solace said before closing the door behind her.

Trophy was playing peek-a-boo with them when Rian returned with the playpen and overflowing diaper bag. "Thanks, Rian. Would you mind setting up the pen and putting them in it, so I can eat?" she asked. The energy boost she had from being with her children had vanished, and she was exhausted again. Hopefully some food would help.

"No problem. You sure you want me to take the rest of the night off?" he asked, double-checking her offer as he quickly got the playpen ready for the twins and put them in it with their favorite toys and blankets.

" **Yes**." she answered almost harshly, then decided to tease him so he wouldn't ask more questions. "Don't you have some hot stud locked in your basement who's pining away for you?"

"Not this week." he countered as he headed towards the door. "See you tomorrow night."

Trophy forced herself to start eating, her appetite having vanished as well, now that she was alone again. Her parting shot to Rian didn't help either, it really wasn't very funny to her, since she had just been locked up in someone's basement. Trying to shake it off, she watched her twins play as she ate. "I'm not alone, not as long as I have my family." she reminded herself.

Nooj and Solace drove the first few minutes back to their own home in silence, until they came to the first stop light. "What did you mean about getting our house ready for her?" he asked.

"I would like to give our cook and butler six weeks' paid vacation, so we can have the house to ourselves while we help her adjust to being back in civilization. She can do their work for them, and that way she can still feel that she's a slave, but without the sexual aspects." she quietly explained. "But…" Solace paused instead of finishing her sentence.

"You want me to have sex with her, don't you?" Nooj could tell by her phrasing and demeanor that she was back in her role as his slave wife.

" **No** , I really **don't**." she replied emphatically. "I would prefer that she became a nun if the Yevon priesthood was still around. But I don't see how else we can learn the full extent of the damage done to her. I tried questioning her to find out what sexual lies he had beaten into her, but she only repeated what he had taught her to say when she was introducing herself. She couldn't understand what I was asking her. Her behavior during sex will speak volumes and help us to help her more. And Baralai wouldn't agree to have sex with her, he's made it clear he's not interested. If he won't, it has to be you. The fewer people who know about her, the better."

"I don't want to have sex with her either, but if you're sure…I want you to know I'm only agreeing because I pity her. We should help her however we can. But in return, you've got to do something for me." he told her.

"What?" Solace asked, though it was more for him to repeat his feelings towards Alase than to find out what he wanted. She had never expected him to say he pitied anyone.

"What did you say she said her name was?" he answered with another question.

" _Whore_." Solace said distastefully.

"She kept begging for mercy, make up a background story for her where that's her name, and tomorrow I'll have some of my less ethical employees come up with paperwork to prove it." he informed her.

"Mercy? That's a wonderful name for her!" Solace exclaimed. "After we get home and have dinner, I'll start on her new identity. What's going to happen to…Arrass?"

"I'm sure it will be too good for him, whatever the judge decides." was all Nooj would say on that subject.

Knowing him well enough to change the topic, she turned the conversation back to Alase. "I don't want him finding out about her though, if we're going through with this, I think we should also have a funeral for Alase. And minor plastic surgery so no one will recognize her."

"My humble wife never asks for much." he said sardonically ."So we get rid of our servants, let her be our new one, fake her identity and appearance, fake her funeral, anything else?"

Also knowing that he was just acting up to cover his real feelings about the situation, she responded in a similar vein. "I'm thinking she should stay in the suite next to ours. It will make the necessary booty call that much more convenient, won't it?"

Nooj merely frowned and half-grunted at his older wife's rare use of contemporary slang as he kept driving.


	22. Chapter 22

"Good morning Lord Nooj, Lady Patrice." the butler said when he opened the door. "Lord Baralai has already left for work, and Lady Rikku is in the nursery, I believe."

"Thank you." Solace told him. "May I go to the nursery or should I go get her now?" she asked Nooj.

"We'll get together, and you can stop at the nursery on the way out." he replied, gesturing for her to go up the stairs first.

Whore heard the key turn in the lock and gratefully opened her eyes. She hadn't sleep well, besieged by confusing imagery that she couldn't understand whenever she fell asleep, and something inside her was inexplicably terrified of figuring out what they meant. But now her Light was coming for her, and everything would be okay.

"Good, you're awake." Solace said, picking up the dinner plate and utensils up off the floor. "Come into the bathroom with me."

Whore quickly got out of bed and crawled to the bathroom. "May I use the toilet?" she asked, trying to ignore the cold tiles on her hands and knees, after being in a nice warm bed.

"Of course. And you will always address me as Mistress, unless other people you haven't met yet are around, then you will address me as my Lady." Solace instructed her as she rinsed off the plate in the sink.

"Yes…Mistress." Whore smiled, whispering 'my Lady' to herself. The idea of letting everyone know she was her Light made her happy.

"Good. Wash your hands when you're done." Leaving the plate and utensils on the counter, she grabbed the bathrobe hanging up. Once Alase washed her hands in the bathtub since she couldn't stand up to use the sink, Solace made her sit up so she could get the bathrobe on her. "No one else but us and the doctor will be allowed to see your naked body, understand?"

Whore wasn't clear if she was being punished or praised, so in her confusion she meekly submitted to the unfamiliar and unwelcome sensation of being dressed. "Yes Mistress, I understand." she said, reminding herself she was to only follow her Light's commands, knowing why wasn't important. If her naked body was to be hidden, it would be.

"Good, now put these slippers on your feet. Master Nooj will carry you downstairs and put you in the car." Solace told her. "Alright, we're ready." she informed her husband once the slippers were on Alase's feet.

Corda wondered what in Spira was going on. Stan had called her, insisting on coming with her to Baralai and Rikku's house during her shift as their day nanny, and there had been reporters camped outside the estate gates. Now Rikku was looking rather peaked and had a bandage on her neck, and intent on not leaving the nursery. She had been telling Corda she could take the day off, until she saw Stan, and was obviously unpleasantly surprised by him being there. She had paled a little, then recovered and acted like nothing was wrong, except for her not wanting them there, but she quit asking, just went and sat in the rocking chair with her twins, singing to them in Al Bhed. Stan stood next to the crib, watching her like a hawk. "Alright, will someone tell me what the problem is?" Corda finally demanded to know.

"Nothing that involves my babies, or ever will." Trophy swore. She knew Stan was there to see how she was doing, but she didn't want to deal with people hounding her yet. She hadn't slept any better than Alase had, it was the first time since they married that she hadn't shared the same bed with Baralai, and that was another twist of the knife in her heart. Maybe she needed to get away and get some perspective…but who? Everyone she could visit would either already know what happened, or demand answers she didn't have yet. Unless…"I'm taking them on vacation." she suddenly announced. "You two can help me by packing everything up for them, then you can go."

"Go where?" Solace asked from the open doorway, Nooj behind her with Alase in his arms.

"It's best no one knows til I get back." Trophy replied. "I'm going to pack my stuff and arrange transportation."

"I don't think we should warn Baralai. She'll probably let him know herself." Nooj said as they walked down the stairs. Alase might be tall, but she didn't weigh much, especially with the lack of proper diet she had for the last couple months, so he could manage carrying her with his prosthetic arm.

"You're right. We've done what we can already." Solace said as the butler opened the door for them. "May I sit in the backseat with her? I don't want anyone getting a picture of her."

"Of course." Nooj agreed as she opened the car door for him and he carefully put Alase in the backseat..

I wonder if she knows about all the reporters, and how she plans to avoid them when she leaves." Solace got in next to Alase.

"You're about to get your answer." Nooj said, hearing the approaching airship first. "Gullwings to the rescue as usual."

"Being with family hopefully should help her." Solace said. "Now I want you lay down and put your head in my lap." she ordered Alase. "Let's go home now."

Nooj drove out slowly to avoid hitting some of the more persistent reporters, though part of him was amused at the thought of one of those new video games that one of the Machine Faction had created where you had to attack anyone with a camera recorder. "Speaking of family, do you have any brothers or sisters?" he asked Alase once they were past the reporters and Solace let her sit up.

"Family?" Whore went blank. "I…I don't know." She suddenly felt like she couldn't breath and started trembling. "I don't know! I don't know!"

"Hush, it's okay. We'll find out for you, okay?" she promised, cradling the distraught woman and rocking back and forth a little with her til she calmed down. It was as she suspected, she had no memory of her life as Alase anymore. That went perfectly with the fictitious biography she had created for 'Mercy' last night.

"I want you to be my family." Whore sobbed, feeling like a condemned criminal with the onslaught of offenses she was committing. She couldn't answer questions so she was disobeying, she was wearing clothes, and she was disgracing her Light by being weak enough to need comforting. She was to please others, not the other way around.

"We'll take care of you." Nooj gave her his own promise as he pulled the car to a stop. "We're here, hurry up and get out, I'm already late for work."

Whore looked out the car window at the house that was quite smaller than Master Baralai's, but still big. Solace got out first, and then helped her out so Nooj could hurry to work. As he sped away, Solace unlocked the front door. "Come on, let's go have breakfast." she told her, and Whore carefully crawled into the house and her new existence.


	23. Chapter 23

"We have eight bedrooms and five bathrooms." Solace started explaining as she closed the front door. "We have a housekeeping service that comes once a week to clean, and a landscaping service that does the same for outside. The butler and cook are our only permanent staff, but we sent them on vacation so we could train you in private. That means you will have to take their place until they get back. The kitchen is this way, follow me."

Whore kept her eyes on her Light as she crawled after her, not paying attention to the well-preserved antique furniture and collectibles she passed. When they reached the kitchen, she was amazed at the size of it. It was at least twice the size of the cottage's kitchen, and half the gadgets and appliances were unfamiliar to her.

"Sit here." Solace commanded, patting a stool next to the island containing a sink, cutting board, and knife block. Her manner was stern even as she helped Alase onto the stool. "Do you know how to cook breakfast?"

"Oh yes, Mistress." Whore replied, glad she could give a positive answer. "I can make pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs."

"Well, we don't allow bacon in this household, but I'll get the ingredients. You beat the eggs and make the batter, and I'll cook." Solace told her.

"I'm supposed to do the cooking now, aren't I?" Whore asked, obviously confused. She tried to get off the stool, but her injured legs caused her to fall down.

"That's why you're not cooking yet." Solace firmly pointed out, having assured herself Alase hadn't gotten hurt before grabbing what they needed. "You will do all the food preparation, and I'll do the cooking until your legs are healed enough for you to walk again." She put two mixing bowls in front of Alase, along with six eggs, flour, baking powder, ragora nectar, buttermilk, an egg beater, and a wooden spoon. "Start cracking the eggs while I start the frying pans warming up. Just four of them, the other two are for the pancakes."

Whore had gotten back onto the stool herself with difficulty, and she immediately started on the eggs, glad she could do something right. "When do I make my porridge?" she quietly asked.

"Porridge?" Solace stared at her for a moment. "Is that what you're used to eating?"

"I'm just a fucking slave." Whore automatically replied. "Last night's dinner was too good for me. Your table scraps in my porridge are even more than I deserve."

Solace experienced a strong desire to have a bound and gagged Arrass in her kitchen, so she could put his genitals on the hot burner and smash the frying pan down on them. "If we give it to you, then you deserve it. Say it." she ordered Alase.

"If you give it to me, I deserve it." Whore repeated as she started beating the eggs.

"Good. Remember that, and that you are eating now for the baby you're carrying. So don't you **_ever_** question what we feed you again. Now start on the pancake batter." Solace told her.

"Yes, Mistress. I'm sorry." Whore started adding the dry ingredients together in the second bowl.

"I know, you've been trained **very** well to know when you're at fault." Solace said, a bitter edge to her voice. "But in our house, you will not apologize unless told to. You will just tell us when you've done something wrong, and we will deal with you appropriately." Neither of them spoke again until Solace put two plates with pancakes and eggs on the island, and then pulled up a stool next to Alase. "I will give you some cookbooks to study, so you can learn to make gourmet meals. Now eat, there's a lot I've got to teach you today before my husband comes home. If he has the energy, he'll want to try you out."

"If I please him, will you be pleased with me?" Whore asked with hopeful anticipation. She felt even worse that she wasn't used last night than she did about wearing the bathrobe and slippers. She existed to be used for others' pleasure, if no one wanted her, there was no point to her life, was there?

"It would please me if you'd follow orders and start eating." Solace snapped at her before starting to eat her own breakfast, even though she didn't feel like it. She found the whole idea of anyone having sex with Alase in her current state totally repugnant. Just because it was to learn what had been done to her didn't change the fact that her mental state was such that she wasn't able to give proper consent. Despite how sexually active Alase had been even before Arrass got a hold of her, she was now little more than a traumatized child, and they were going to rape her tonight.


	24. Chapter 24

"Did I do something wrong, Mistress?" Whore asked when Solace abruptly stood up.

"No, but breakfast is over now." She tossed Alase's empty plate into the sink along with her half-eaten one. "Come on, the first order of business is to get you a proper wardrobe." Whore reluctantly followed her into the dining room.

"Wow, lookin' good there, Rikku." Buddy said when she boarded the Gullwings' airship. "I had heard you were living up, but that's some place. And you've got the cutest little tots to boot."

"Thanks, Buddy." Trophy replied with a fake smile. "For that and for agreeing to take me to Gagazet."

"Yes, she enjoyed marrying well. And we just her transportation." Brother remarked cynically, his language skills not having improved that much in the years since Al Bhed became accepted by the majority of Spira.

"Don't mind him." Buddy told her. "You kinda surprised us all when you married the leader of New Yevon of all people, and in secret like that."

"And now I'm gonna surprise Kimahri with my secret vacation. He doesn't know we're coming, but I thought the twins should revisit their birth place." Trophy said as they stepped onto the lift. "So if anyone asks, you never saw me, okay?"

"Greetings, Meyvn. Didn't expect to see _you_ here in the Deception office today." the red-headed woman said when he entered the Special Investigations room. The nickname Deception had come about due to the investigators handling unusual or previously unsolvable cases using their skills earned during their previous careers as grifters, thieves, and forgers. The only thing missing was a hacker, since computers were still relatively new to Spira, and most people were still heavily involved in rebuilding after Sin's destruction, nearly ten years later.

"No time, Mora." he replied. "I still don't. I just want this made official." Nooj handed her the paper with Solace's fictitious biography for Alase's new identity. "All the necessary documents are to be ready before I go home for the night."

"Uh, sure. And then I'll go count up every grain of sand on Bikanel Island." she retorted.

"Just do it." he ordered, knowing she was capable of coming up with the paperwork. "And I was never here."

"Whatever you say, Boss." Mora said to his retreating back. Her curiosity was aroused, it wasn't like him to keep secrets at work, he kept that for his personal life. She smiled as she got started, glad she was the only one in at the time, being one of the good guys occasionally was boring, but now she had the thrill of being in cahoots with Meyvn Nooj for something mysterious.

His next stop was Beclem's desk, where the man was on the phone arguing with someone. Hanging up, he finally noticed Nooj. "Yes, Meyvn?" Beclem asked in an almost hostile tone. His whole investigation was full of enough skeletons in the closet that almost made him want to walk away from it all, and a restless night's sleep hadn't helped.

"These are some new orders for you. Carry on with the investigation, so long as this is accomplished as well." Nooj handed him a folded up piece of paper. "Destroy it when you're done."

Beclem opened up the paper and read it as Nooj was walking away. Arrange for Lady Alase's funeral. It must be held at the end of the week. Closed casket, no one needs to see how her story ended. He hurried after Nooj. "Sir! I will not be a party to…"

Nooj stopped him with a glare. "You have your orders, and you heard it yesterday, the woman is gone. She deserves to be at peace now." he told his subordinate coldly.

"Do you really think this is best, sir?" Beclem asked a little more respectfully, catching the unmistakable double meaning to his last sentence as the images of Lady Alase's violated body flashed through his mind. Anyone would need privacy after that, but…faking her death?

"Try using your imagination, Beclem." Nooj told him as they reached his office. "Now get back to work." He closed his door in Beclem's face.

"This is where you will serve our meals when you're better. Stay here while I get my laptop." Solace told her, and Whore obeyed, wondering what a laptop was. "What's wrong?" she asked when she returned a few moments later, seeing how upset Alase looked.

"Is…do I…must I wear clothes, Mistress?" Whore plaintively asked. "I thought…"

"Yes, you **must** wear respectable clothes as befits the newest of our servants." Solace informed her unequivocally as she opened her laptop. "You want us to be proud of you, don't you?"

"Oh yes, Mistress." Whore immediately agreed. If wearing clothes would do that, she'd do it in a heartbeat for her, so she fought her feelings of wrongness about being clothed. It eased her conscience some that she never remembered being specifically told she couldn't wear clothes, but she was never given any at the cottage, wearing only her shackles, so she assumed it wasn't for the likes of her. She would trust her Light to know what was best for her.

"Good. Now let's see…" Solace paused a moment as she tried to remember the name of Alase's favourite boutique, and logged into the site. "Come here next to me. Do any of these clothes appeal to you?"

Whore crawled closer to see the screen, then shook her head, feeling offended at the revealing bright and showy clothes, and her dislike of them increased when that tiny voice inside her sprang to life again and told her she was unworthy of them. "What is that?" she asked suddenly, pointing to a dress in the bottom corner of the screen.

"Lemme see." Solace clicked on the picture, glad Alase was at least able to say what she liked or didn't, even if she could easily convinced otherwise. Baby steps, she reminded herself. "This is their clearance section. That is called a peasant dress, some fashion designer wanted to try something new, but it flopped. Do you want it?"

"Oh yes, please, Mistress." Whore breathed. The simple dark grey ankle-length dress with its long sleeves seemed the most beautiful gown in the world to her, and she was a slave, so a peasant dress was perfect. It would cover her whole body, her Light had said no one else was ever to see her naked, and they never would.

"Well, you're in luck. They have three in your size. That dark grey, light blue, and black. I'll order all of them for you." Solace quickly did so, not wanting someone else to get them first. She then went to a lingerie site for bras, panties, and sleeping wear in Alase's size.

"Thank you for being so good to me, Mistress." Whore said, crawling even closer to her so that her head almost rested against Solace's thigh.

"You're welcome." Solace replied, patting her head. Since Alase accepted it without fuss, she made a mental note to start touching Alase with affection every time the woman expressed gratitude. When she was already thanking them for their generosity, that would be the best time to get her used to positive reinforcement.


	25. Chapter 25

"This is your room." Solace told Alase as she unlocked the door. "That is my and Master Nooj's bedroom." She pointed to the door a little ways down at the end of the hall. "You are **never** to go in there without permission. You'll be severely punished if you do. Now go see your new room. If you ever want to redecorate, that can be arranged." She opened the door and Whore crawled inside.

Looking around, she noticed it wasn't much different from the first room she had been in at Master Baralai's house, since it also had an adjoining bathroom. The dark wood of the walls and the dark blue of the bedding were accented by sheer curtains and lacy pillows in a pale ivory color. Having the window covered made her happy, she wouldn't have to look outside. "It's…I…this is more than I deserve." Whore started sobbing.

"Ssshhh." Solace got down on the floor with her, stroking her hair, and Whore couldn't stop herself from burying her head in Solace's lap, unsure what she felt as Solace comforted her. "I have a few phone calls and other things to do myself, you're worn out already, why don't you rest in bed and I'll be back soon." Solace told her when she calmed down.

"You're leaving me alone?" Whore asked, sounding like a scared young girl.

"No, I'll still be in the house. I'll leave the door open so you know I'm still here." she replied reassuringly. Whore quickly crawled into bed when she said that, and then noticed her Light smiling at her. "Uh, you can take off your robe and slippers first. You are allowed to be naked in your own room. I'll be back soon." she repeated, making sure to leave the door open so Alase wouldn't feel trapped and alone.

Whore undressed, putting the robe and slippers next to her on the bed, then she closed her eyes, trying to sort out everything that's already happened during her tumultuous morning. Her Mistress…Whore paused in her thoughts as she didn't refer to Solace as her Light, feeling scared again at her blasphemy. Solace's voice echoed in her head, when she ordered her to address her as Mistress or my Lady. If that's what she wanted, it wasn't wrong, was it? Finally Whore was able to justify it by deciding that Mistress and Lady must be other words for Light. It did make her feel better to know that she could differentiate between Solace and Arrass. He would remain as her original Light, and she wouldn't confuse herself by referring to them both as her Light. Letting out a relieved sigh, her mental exhaustion took over and she was soon fast asleep.

A loud clap of thunder startled Whore awake, and she was disoriented at first, the dim light of the room making she was in a prison cell, until she saw the open door. Calming down, she got out of bed and crawled to the doorway, leaving her bathrobe and slippers on the bed. "Mistress?" she called out. Wondering if she had overslept and upset her Mistress, she felt herself start to panic again. "Mistress? I'm ready to be taught more!" Her panic grew when there was no answer, the storm raging overhead adding to her fear. Maybe she was in the kitchen. Daring to venture out of her room, she wandered until she found the stairs and crawled down them, still calling out for her Mistress as her voice grew more shrill each time. She was just passing by the front door when it suddenly opened, wind and rain coming in along with Solace, who had an umbrella in one hand, and a big colorful bag with three packages in it.

"Oh!" Solace exclaimed when she Alase naked in front of her. She quickly closed the front door. "Where are you bathrobe and slippers?"

"I thought you had abandoned me. I didn't mean to sleep so long!" Whore exclaimed, tears of joy running down her face at being in her Mistress' presence again. Then her words penetrated and she looked down at her naked body. She had broken another rule. "I'm sorry I forgot them. Please don't…"

"It's a good thing we're alone." Solace remarked deciding it was best to ignore Alase's outburst this time. The woman was bound to be easily emotional after what she'd been through, but she didn't want to inadvertently encourage her to get hysterical by offering her the comfort she unconsciously sought _every_ time. She closed her umbrella and took off her raincoat, hanging them both up. "Go back to your room and get them. I'll go put the kettle on, so we can have some hot tea or cocoa to warm up. Then I'll meet you in your room, we'll need to hang the dresses up anyway. They arrived, but the storm knocked out the electronics for the gate, so I had to go down myself and get them. That's the advantage of the boutique only being a couple miles away, they offer same-day delivery for special clients if you do."

Whore got a hold of herself and started slowly up the stairs, her fright having made her unable to remember where her room was, and she didn't want to appear stupid. She hadn't been punished yet, and she didn't know how she would punish her, since her Mistress hadn't treated her quite how she was used to. Whore was sure the punishment would be horrific though, and the worst part was she knew she deserved it. Solace appeared at the bottom of the stairs just as she reached the top.

"Why aren't you in your room already? Are your legs hurting worse?" she asked Alase when she joined her at the top.

"No Mistress, I just…" Whore stopped, unable to lie to her, but so scared of telling the truth.

"Just what?" Solace demanded to know. When Alase didn't answer right away, Solace put the boutique's bag on the floor and cupped Alase's face in her hands and forcing her to make eye contact, wondering why the woman seemed so terrified. "You're scared, I know. But in this house, you will never be punished for honesty. But we will punish you for disobedience, however. So when I ask you a question, you will always answer it, won't you?"

"Yes, Mistress." Whore's eyes had widened when her Mistress said she knew how scared she was. She could read minds! But then why didn't she know why she was so scared?

"So then be obedient and answer my question." Solace demanded.

"I…I don't remember where my room is." Whore shamefully admitted. She understood now, her Mistress did know why she was scared, she was just testing her obedience. "I know I'm stupid…"

"Don't you _**ever**_ say that again." Solace interrupted her harshly, tightening her grip on Alase's face, and her eyes widened again, this time with more respect. "We are in charge of deciding what you are or are not, that's why we are responsible for the rest of you training. And you will trust us without fail if you want to be trained properly."

"Oh, I do trust you, Mistress!" Whore quickly exclaimed. "I'll always trust _you_!"

Solace felt distinctly uncomfortable and guilty at the sheer adoration that brightened up Alase's dull eyes as she looked at her. She released Alase and quickly stood up, picking up the boutique bag. "Yes, well, I'll draw you a map to help you until you're familiar with our house. Your room is this way." Solace turned left and started down the hallway, Alase following her like a faithful puppy.


	26. Chapter 26

Once in her room, Solace put the bag on the bed while Alase put on her robe and slippers. "Now, you can open the boxes. Pretend they're presents for your birthday party."

"Birthday party?" Whore questioned the unfamiliar term as she put the robe and slippers back on. "What is that?"

"Never mind that right now. Just open them." she replied.

Whore took the boxes out of the bags and stared at them a moment, as if she was trying to figure out how to open them, but she was really just staring at the pretty designs on them. Opening one of the three biggest boxes, she stared again, awed at how the dark gray peasant dress looked even more beautiful when she saw it in person. "It feels so soft." she breathed, reaching out her hand slowly to touch the material, then snatched her hand back, realizing she hadn't been told she could touch them.

"Yes, and you'll wear it tonight for dinner to surprise Master Nooj. Now open the other packages." Solace ordered her, taking the first dress to hang it up in the closet. Whore thought the other two dresses were just as beautiful, but she felt the undergarments and sleep wear from the lingerie store were positively obscene. From the pictures she saw on the laptop, they were meant to interfere with her purpose as a fucking slave. "This is your underwear drawer." Solace told her as she put the panties and bras in the designated drawer before hanging up the sleep wear next to the dresses. "Now let's go back to the kitchen, the kettle's probably ready."

Taking two tins out of the cupboard once they were back in the kitchen, Solace put them on the island before getting two mugs to put next to them. "Do you want tea or cocoa?"

"Whatever you think is best for me, Mistress." Whore answered cautiously as she got back onto a stool in response to the gesture for her to do so, glad she wasn't facing the doors out to the terrace, looking outside was bad enough, but it was even worse with the awesome storm raging around them. She much preferred watching her Mistress.

"I think it's best you answer for yourself." Solace told her, and Whore shuddered at the tone of unmistakable warning. A choice meant there was a right choice and a wrong one. If she chose wrong…"There is no wrong answer, if that's what you're afraid of." Solace added when Alase didn't respond right away.

Whore was once again amazed that she could read her mind. "I…I want to drink whatever you are, Mistress." she said with a hesitant smile.

"Cocoa it is, then." Solace quickly grabbed the tea tin and put it back in the cupboard, hiding her frown from Alase so she wouldn't think she had done anything wrong. Sternly reminding herself that she was now incapable of any real independence, she tried to tell herself that it was enough that she could almost make a decision when forced to. "Did you drink cocoa a lot as a little girl?"

Whore stared blankly at Solace as she started putting some of the cocoa mix in the mugs, feeling inexplicably scared again when she couldn't think of an answer . "I…I don't…it…I…" she stuttered as her panic grew over being asked about her past again, causing her to start ranting. "I'm not supposed to know anything but what you teach me, aren't I? I don't remember because it's not important! I'm just a stupid slut, that's all I'm supposed to be!"

"Stop that!" Solace regretfully slapped Alase to stop her hysterical babbling. She had deliberately asked her a question that she knew could trigger her like it had on the drive here, but she wanted to be absolutely sure that the memory loss was psychological, not physical. It was hardly surprising that she had survived her captivity with dissociative amnesia. At least it meant she definitely relied on others for her own sense of identity, when Nooj got home they could start the process of turning her into Mercy. It was too bad they couldn't convince her to forget Arrass as well, but he was the reason for her current mental state, without him she would have no sense of self at all, even if that self was basically nothing but a combo punching bag and sex doll. "When did you become a stupid slut?" she asked carefully, reasonably sure that since Alase had brought it up, it wouldn't trigger her again.

"I must have always been one, that's why nobody wants me! Even Master Baralai rejected me, and he's all I ever wanted!" Whore's reply didn't even sound sincere to herself, and she hated herself even more. She knew she was supposed to want him, and she was trying to convince herself, but all she really wanted was to be back in the cottage with Arrass, and the thought that he was rejecting her too hurt worse than anything. "That's why I don't want to remember anything else!"

"Then don't." Solace said reassuringly as she handed her a steaming mug. "We will tell you what you need to know, I promise. Can you read?"

"I can read recipes, but I'm not allowed to read anything but instructions." Whore remembered that rule from having to learn how to cook at the cottage.

"Can you read this mug, then?" Solace held up hers so Alase could see the words on it.

" _Don't kiss the cook with the same mouth you kiss your mother with_." Whore's expression was puzzled as she read the words. "What…what does that mean?"

Solace chuckled and gently patted Alase's cheek. "It doesn't mean anything, it's just a joke. You know what jokes are, don't you?"

"I'm…not sure." she admitted, distracted by the warm sensation on her face where her Mistress had touched her, first with the violence she needed, then a confusingly light touch.

"Well, we'll talk about that later. I'm glad you can read, Master Nooj and I will make up a list of instructions for you to memorize." Solace took a sip of her cocoa. "And I'll give you some cookbooks to help you expand your repertoire. Speaking of food, what did you usually make for lunch? And dinner?"

"Sandwiches for lunch and steak for dinner." Whore promptly replied, feeling a little warm flutter inside as well over her Mistress saying she was glad she could read, she loved making her happy as much as she did Arrass.

Solace got ingredients for sandwiches out and laid them on the island counter in front of Alase. "So then you can make us lunch." Her phone rang suddenly, startling both of them. "Oh, it's Master Nooj. I'll take this in the dining room, you start on the sandwiches." she told her when she looked at the caller ID. "I'll be right back."


	27. Chapter 27

Whore looked at all the sandwich ingredients, far more than she was used to being allowed, and decided her Mistress must have meant for her to use everything. When she was done, she patiently waited for her return.

"I'm so glad you called, dear." Solace told Nooj once she was alone in the dining room. "How is everything coming?"

"I ordered them to start the process, not sure if the biography will be done by closing time." Nooj said. "How's she doing?"

"She's never going to be alright, but she's extremely capable within her limitations. If we're gonna turn her into Mercy, it's best done today as part of her new training that she's expecting, and while she's still trying to process and adjust from the shock of the last couple days. I hope it's done in time, I would like to start addressing her with a decent name, there's no way I'm calling her Whore. Oh, and I ordered clothes for her, some arrived already. And what would you like for dinner?"

"If I'm able to get home, this storm is getting nasty. I probably won't care at that point." Nooj said. "Swamped here, almost literally. Road is just about washed out. Most of the patrols have been assigned to damage control and search and rescue. Some damned fools still think without Sin, they aren't in danger from anything."

"Please come home." Solace pleaded. "She needs you here as much as I do."

"You can have sex with her too, you know." Nooj reminded her, surprised at how insistent his bisexual slave wife sounded.

"I want to wean her off sexual activity, and she's used to being raped by a man." Solace retorted.

"Gee thanks." Nooj said. "You're doing a great job convincing me I should come home.".

"I'm sorry, Master." Solace said repentantly. Her time with Alase had stressed her out more than she expected. "I just…I really need your support to help her."

"We'll see. It wouldn't help if I got killed trying to get home, would it?" he asked, mollified.

"I'm glad you don't want to die anymore." Solace told him fondly. "I better go now, I left her alone in the kitchen making sandwiches. She's not a bad cook, just limited to basic meals."

"Alright, I'll see you later, no matter what." Nooj hung up the phone.

Solace couldn't stop herself from smiling as she reentered the kitchen. Nooj might not be suicidal anymore, but he wasn't exactly an affectionate husband, not like most people thought, and he wasn't too fond of emotional displays of any kind. She'd have been surprised if he hadn't turned brusque with her and hung up when she let him know how she felt about him. She looked up from her phone to get her first look at the sandwiches. "What the…" the startled exclamation burst out of her before she could stop it.

"You don't like them?" Whore asked pensively, looking down at the three-inch high sandwiches, stuffed with everything her Mistress had provided her. "What did I do wrong?"

It's just that they're…big." Solace told her reassuringly, grabbing a knife from the block. "Let's cut them up first, okay? And we might be eating alone tonight. Mushroom Rock Road is washed out. If he can't get home safe, he won't. But if he does, he might have a surprise for you."

"A…a surprise?" Whore paused as she was about to take a bite of her sandwich. "What for?" she asked nervously.

"Eat." Solace commanded her, waiting until she obeyed to continue. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it? It is something you asked for, though."

Whore chewed slowly, not thinking about what the surprise was, since curiosity had been beaten out of her long ago, but what she would do if Master Nooj didn't come home. She needed to earn her meals again, she hated eating this way, as if serving one's self was more important than serving others. It wasn't!

"You don't like surprises?" Solace asked between mouthfuls when Alase remained silent.

"I want to please Master Nooj, but I can't if he's not here." Whore frowned and put down the rest of her sandwich. "I miss him."

"You'll have plenty of time to get know him." Solace became concerned with how despairingly Alase said that and tried to reassure her.

"No." Whore shook her head emphatically. "Not Master Nooj. _Him_!"

Oh. Solace frowned herself, unable to hide it from Alase this time, but it vanished quickly enough. "Well, you said you don't remember when he impregnated you, but do you remember how?" she asked carefully.

"I do remember when he made me pregnant." Whore said, then realized she had just contradicted her Mistress. Holding her head down, she waited to feel the pain of her rightful punishment. When it didn't come, she looked up slowly.

"You said you didn't know how long you've been pregnant. Now you do?" Solace inquired casually, wondering how she'd explain the discrepancy. Was she going to prove unreliable even within her own framework of reality?

"He told me he would test me two weeks after he impregnated me. I don't know how long it's been unless someone tells me. But I remember him getting me pregnant." Whore explained. "It happened right after he let me upstairs."

"Upstairs? At the cottage? What's downstairs?" Solace asked more sharply than she intended, since she had never been told much about what actually transpired there, between Alase and Arrass or Arrass and Trophy.

Whore involuntarily shuddered, suddenly afraid. "Darkness. That's what's downstairs." she whispered. If hell had been a concept on Spira, she would have used that instead.

Solace suddenly remembered that Alase had kept the light in her bedroom on all night at Baralai's. She hadn't registered its importance at first, but now she made a mental note to put a night light in Alase's room. "So how did he make you pregnant?" she asked, returning to her original question to snap Alase out of it.

"He injected stuff into me, tied me in the bed so I wouldn't move and ruin all his hard work, and gave me a potion to drink." Whore said after concentrating hard to remember, only able to because it was something out of the ordinary for her routine.

"A potion? What kind of potion?" Solace wanted to know, hoping it was a fertility potion.

"It was to help me get pregnant." Whore said. "It didn't taste good, but it was important, and I did it for him."

"You really love him, don't you?" Solace asked with feigned indifference.

"Oh, not more than I love you, Mistress!" she blurted out, but even to herself she didn't sound convinced. "How could I not love him?" she continued innocently. "He worked so hard to give me everything I ever wanted, even when I didn't deserve it. It's so wonderful to have someone like that taking care of you, isn't it?"

Solace shoved the last bite of her sandwich in her mouth so she wouldn't be expected to answer.


End file.
